Killing of Tamir Rice
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| Date | November 22, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 3:30 p.m. |
| Location | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Participants | 2 |
| Deaths | Tamir Rice |
The Shooting of Tamir Rice, a twelve-year-old African-American boy, occurred on November 22, 2014, in Cleveland, Ohio. Two White police officers, identified as 26-year-old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmback,[1] responded to a city park after receiving reports of a boy armed with a gun. The officers reported that during the confrontation, Rice reached in his waistband and grasped a gun, prompting one of the officers to fire two shots, fatally hitting Rice once in the torso with one. They later found that the gun was only a toy.[2][3] Rice died on the day after the shooting.[4]
The incident received national and international attention due to the time of its occurrence; at the moment, public focus was on police shootings of unarmed black men in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the subsequent unrest.
The Shooting
In a 9-1-1 phone call, a caller, who was sitting in a nearby gazebo, reported that someone, possibly a juvenile, was pointing "a pistol" at random people in the Cudell Recreation Center, and clarified twice that the gun was "probably fake".[5] However, according to police spokesmen, it was unclear if that information was relayed to Loehmann and Garmback. It was later revealed that the information was indeed not relayed to the officers, with the dispatcher only simply referring to the firearm as "a gun".[2][6] Officers were dispatched to the park at around 3:30 p.m.[5] The caller then left the gazebo, and Rice sat down in it sometime later.[6]
According to Loehmann and Garmback, the two officers arrived at the park and approached Rice, ordering him to hold up his hands; however, Rice instead reached in his waistband and grasped a gun, prompting one of the officers to fire two shots, fatally hitting Rice once in the torso. They later found that the gun was an airsoft gun, which are air gun replicas of real guns that can shoot non-lethal plastic, ceramic, or metallic pellets, with its orange safety tip removed. Deputy Chief Tomba stated that Rice did not threaten or point the airsoft gun at Loehmann and Garmback.[2][3][1] Rice died on the day after the shooting at MetroHealth Medical Center. The medical examiner clarified the cause of death as being a gunshot wound to the torso, with injuries to major vessels, intestines, and the pelvis.[7]
A surveillance video without audio of the shooting was released by police on November 26, 2014 after pressure from the public and Rice's family.[8] It showed the officers' patrol car pulling up beside the gazebo in which Rice was sitting. Rice then moved his right hand toward his waist, prompting Loehmann to get out of the patrol car and shoot him.[9][5][6]
Legal proceedings
On November 24, Cleveland officials announced that a grand jury would hear the case.[10] They will decide whether either Loehmann or Garmback will be charged with Rice's death.[6]
Protests
In the wake of the shooting, protests and public outcry broke out in Cleveland, although they were relatively minor. However, on November 25, 2014, a day after a grand jury decision to not indict the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, the Cleveland protests became more prominent. That day, about 200 protesters marched from Public Square to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, causing the latter to be shut down temporarily.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Police ID officers involved 12-year-old's shooting"
- ^ a b c Fitzsimmons, Emma (23 November 2014). "12-Year-Old Boy Dies After Police in Cleveland Shoot Him". New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Tamir Rice: US police kill boy, 12, carrying replica gun". BBC. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ MacDonald, Evan (November 24 2014). "Cause of death released for 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police". Retrieved November 26 2014.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c "Cleveland police officer shot Tamir Rice immediately after leaving moving patrol car"
- ^ a b c d "Video Shows Cleveland Cop Shoot 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Within Seconds"
- ^ MacDonald, Evan (November 24 2014). "Cause of death released for 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police". Retrieved November 26 2014.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b "Protests break out in Cleveland over Tamir Rice shooting, Ferguson grand jury decision"
- ^ "Video: Cop shot boy seconds after encountering him"
- ^ "Grand Jury Will Hear Case of Tamir Rice, 12-Year-Old Killed by Cop". NBC News. 24 November 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2014.