Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Union President Jeffrey Follmer called the fatal police shooting of a 12-year-old boy holding a toy gun "justified" during a recent interview on MSNBC.

Video footage of the Nov. 22 incident shows that the victim was walking around and waving a pellet gun outside the Cudell Recreation Center. He eventually sat down on a park bench in the park's gazebo before a cop car pulls up near him.

Cops were called to the playground after a man who was sitting in a nearby gazebo called 911 to report that he saw someone pointing a gun at people. Although the caller stated several times that the weapon was probably a toy, the dispatcher did not transmit that information to the responding officers. As a result, the officers believed they were looking for an adult black male on a "gun run," said Deputy Chief Ed Tomba at the conference, according to NBC News.

While speaking with MSNBC Host Ari Melber, Follmer began by criticizing Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins for wearing a T-shirt with the words "Justice for Tamir Brown and John Crawford" last Sunday. He also released a statement earlier in the week demanding that Hawkins apologize to the police department.

"It's pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law. They should stick to what they know best on the field," read the statement, according to NewsNet 5.

In the interview, Follmer doubled down on his criticism towards Hawkins. He also defended the actions of Officer Tim Loehmann, who shot Rice two seconds after arriving on the scene.

"Don't you think at a certain point that this kind of reaction risks feeding the perception that some of these police unions or some folks here don't think they're accountable to public views?" asked Melber.

"You know, there's a video of this, and everything speaks for itself. The male's action spoke for itself," he said referring to the child as "the male."

"The video clearly shows, and by the officers' statement, that they were justified in the deadly force," he added.

In response, Melber challenged the union president, asking "You're saying that the video clearly shows that the 12-year-old boy was an imminent lethal threat to the officers?"

"Oh, absolutely. I don't know if you didn't see it, but yeah absolutely," the officer replied.

Melber continued stating that many people disagreed with Follmer's intrepretation of the video.

"What do you think about the concern people have, that folks are being killed in some cases by officers when there's less than a lethal threat posed?" Melber asked.

Follmer answered that citizens must give police officers unwavering compliance in order to prevent cops from using excessive and deadly force.

"How about this? Listen to police officer's commands, listen to what we tell us, tell you, and just stop. I think that eliminates a lot of problems. I have kids too, they know how to respect the law, they know what to do when a police officer comes up to them. I think the nation needs to realize that when we tell you to do something, do it. And if you're wrong, you're wrong. If you're right, then the courts will figure it out."

Watch the interview below.