Tamir Rice Police Shooting: Rice Family Confident That Investigation Will Be Fair
The family of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old Cleveland boy who was fatally shot by a police officer, believes that the investigation into the matter will be fair and a just ruling will be reached.
Tamir was killed by a police officer who was responding to reports concerning someone that was in possession of a gun in public. However, the officer, Timothy Loehmann of the Cleveland's Sheriff's Department, saw Tamir on a playground holding what appeared to be a pistol, and fatally shot him. However, Tamir was merely holding a BB gun, and not an actual firearm.
The Rice family is said to be "cautiously optimistic" that the jury which rules on this case will come to a balanced and unbiased conclusion.
Video that was released by the Cleveland Police Department shows Tamir playing in a playground by himself. The video, which was captured on November 22, 2014, also shows Loehmann and another officer driving onto the playground, and exiting the vehicle. According to the video, which you can watch here (viewer discretion advised), Loehmann shot Tamir just seconds after exiting the squad car which he was riding in.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney that is representing the Rice family in this case, thinks that the video paints a clear picture of what occured on November 22.
"We think the video speaks for itself," Crump says.
The death of Tamir Rice is just another in the string of recent deaths where a white police officer is involved in the death of a black civilian. The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country, with many calling for changes to police policy and tactics, along with improvements in police training, sensitivity, and community relations.
In the interim, all the Rice family can do is wait as the legal process runs its course, and a verdict is reached in the case of Tamir's death.
Investigators could hand evidence to county prosecutors in 90 days or less. At that point, the case could move to the grand jury phase of the legal process.
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