Protests over police officers cleared of shooting Tamir Rice

Surveillance video showed Rice was fatally shot within seconds of the patrol vehicle arriving on the scene as he began to pull the toy gun out of his waistband. “When they act for the safety of the community, they’re vilified for it”.

The footage sparked days of street demonstrations, the forced resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and a broad federal civil rights investigation of the police department’s practices and how allegations of officer misconduct are handled. The two officers involved in the shooting, which occurred after Rice reached for a weapon that turned out to be a fake pistol, have been placed on leave.

He said that there was no reason for the officers to know that, and that the officer who fired, Timothy Loehmann, had a reason to fear for his life. “We need to end the 48-hour rule for officers”, Ortiz said, referring to a rule that gives a police officer 48 hours to find legal representation if questioned in connection with the use of deadly physical force or allegations of brutality.

McGinty said he was in agreement with the decision and suggested the grand jury not to charge the police officers Frank Garmback and Timothy Loehmann involved in the Rice incidence.

“There have been lessons learned already”. He called it a “perfect storm of human error”.

The Cuyahoga County grand jury declined to indict the Cleveland police officers in the Tamir Rice case. According to Reuters, Rice, who passed away the next day, had with him a replica handgun when he was shot by Officer Timothy Loehmann.

“I’m sad and I’m disheartened all at the same time”, says activist Laura Cowan, who participated in protests at the Cleveland park where Rice was shot. And it was not until later that they realized he was a 12-year-old boy, they said. “What they don’t have a right to do is to do violence to people or property”.

The way Prosecutor McGinty has mishandled the grand-jury process has compounded the grief of this family.

In a statement released Monday through a lawyer, the family accuses Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County Prosecutor Tim McGinty of “abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment”. “The prosecutor is covering up his own mishandling of the process”. Adrine determined that there was probable cause to charge Loehmann with murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, and dereliction of duty, and to charge Garmback with negligent homicide and dereliction of duty.

Tamir’s family and protesters had criticized the approach of the prosecutor throughout the investigation, which took more than 13 months.

(Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office via AP, File). It was missing its telltale orange tip. He was also seen pointing the gun at other children.

Outside Cudell Recreation Center on a cold November afternoon more than a year ago, a 911 call warned of someone pulling a gun out of his trousers and scaring people.

One protester from Cleveland says she came downtown to show support for Tamir’s mother and because she has young children she worries about. Tamir was holding a pellet gun when he was killed.

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), who represents Cleveland, issued a statement following the decision, saying that McGinty’s “handling of this case, in my opinion, tainted the outcome”. Loehmann, Garmback and other officers were surprised to learn after the shooting that Tamir was just 12. “It should never happen again, and the city has taken steps so it doesn’t”. Tamir was carrying a borrowed airsoft gun that looks like an actual firearm but shoots nonlethal plastic pellets.

Jackson would not comment on the grand jury’s decision, but said he has heard from citizens expressing a perceived “lack of fairness and a lack of justice” after the decision.

Cleveland’s reputation has suffered because of some well-publicized police shootings, including the killings of two unarmed black people in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire at the end of a 2012 vehicle chase.

The grand jury had been hearing evidence and testimony since mid-October.