Police Release The Video Of Tamir Rice's Killing

 

 

The police has released the video footage of the minutes Tamir Rice was killed. Much of the footage shows what appears to be a bored kid alone in a park on an unseasonably warm November afternoon. Tamir is seen pacing, occasionally extending his right arm with what appears to be a gun in his hand, talking on a cellphone and sitting at a picnic table with his head resting on his arms.

 

The police officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun fired within 1½ to 2 seconds of pulling up in his cruiser, police said Wednesday. During those few moments, he ordered the youngster to put up his hands three times.

 

Tamir's family said, "It is our belief that this situation could have been avoided and that Tamir should still be here with us," the family said in a statement released by its attorneys. "The video shows one thing distinctly: the police officers reacted quickly."

 

The patrol officer who shot Tamir was identified Wednesday as Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old rookie who began his career in Cleveland on March 3. Loehmann's partner that day was identified as Frank Garmback, 46. He has been with the department since 2008. Both are on paid administrative leave pending a decision by the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office whether to pursue any criminal charges.

 

Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said, "This is not an effort to exonerate. It's not an effort to show the public that anybody did anything wrong," Tomba said. "This is an obvious tragic event where a young member of our community lost their life. We've got two officers that were out there protecting the public that just had to, you know, do something that nobody wants to do."

 

The family thanked the city for releasing the video publicly and said it awaits the results of the police investigation.