Tamir Rice

Tamir Elijah Rice (June 25, 2002 – November 23, 2014) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 25, 2002, to Samaria Rice and Leonard Warner.

His family described him as athletic, excelling at various sports—including football, basketball, swimming, and soccer—and often competing with kids older than him.

As a 12-year-old, he stood 5’7” and weighed 195 lbs.

He was involved in arts programs at his community recreation center, sculpting pottery and crocheting embroidery for his mother.

At the time of his death, Rice attended Marion-Seltzer Elementary School in Cleveland, where he was described as a "pleasant young man".

He had an older sister, Tajai, and an older brother.

A 9-1-1 caller, who was sitting in a nearby Gazebo, reported that someone, possibly a juvenile, was pointing "a pistol" at random people at the Cudell Recreation Center.

The caller twice said that the gun was "probably fake".

According to police spokesmen, it was initially unclear whether or not that information had been relayed to the dispatched officers, Loehmann and Garmback; it was later revealed that the dispatcher had not elaborated beyond referencing "a gun".

According to one report, the 9-1-1 responder twice asked whether the boy was black or white before dispatching officers to the park at around 3:30 p.m. The actual recording of the phone call reveals that the 9-1-1 responder asked whether the boy was black or white three times.

The question was repeated after the caller continued describing the color of Rice's clothing.

The caller then left the Gazebo, and Rice sat down in it sometime later.

According to information reported to the press on the day of the shooting by Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Jeffrey Follmer, "[Loehmann and Garmback] pulled into the parking lot and saw a few people sitting underneath a pavilion next to the center. [Loehmann] saw a black gun sitting on the table, and he saw the boy pick up the gun and put it in his waistband."

Also on that date, Cleveland Deputy Chief Tomba stated, "The officer got out of the car and told the boy to put his hands up. The boy reached into his waistband, pulled out the gun and [Loehmann] fired two shots."

According to Chief Tomba, "the child did not threaten the officer verbally or physically."

On November 26, the day a video of the shooting was released, Chief Tomba is quoted as saying, "Loehmann shouted from the car three times at Tamir to show his hands as he approached the car."

A Justice Department investigation concluded officer Loehmann exited the vehicle while it was still coming to a stop and fired two shots less than two seconds after opening the passenger door.

Rice died the following day at MetroHealth Medical Center.

On November 22, 2014, Tamir E. Rice, a 12-year-old African American boy, was killed in Cleveland, Ohio, by Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old white police officer.

Rice was carrying a replica toy gun; Loehmann shot him almost immediately upon arriving on the scene.

Two officers, Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmback, were responding to a police dispatch call regarding a male who had a gun.

A caller reported that a male was pointing "a pistol" at random people at the Cudell Recreation Center, a park in the City of Cleveland's Public Works Department.

At the beginning of the call and again in the middle, he says of the pistol "it's probably fake."

Toward the end of the two-minute call the caller states that "he is probably a juvenile", but the dispatcher did not relay either of these statements to Loehmann and Garmback.

The officers reported that when they arrived at the scene, they both continuously yelled "show me your hands" through the open patrol car window.

Loehmann further stated that instead of showing his hands, it appeared as if Rice was trying to draw: "I knew it was a gun and I knew it was coming out."

The officer shot twice, hitting Rice once in the torso.

According to Judge Ronald B. Adrine, "...On the video the zone car containing Patrol Officers Loehmann and Garmback is still in the process of stopping when Rice is shot."

Rice died the following day.

Rice's gun was found to be an airsoft replica; it lacked the orange-tipped barrel that would have indicated it was a toy gun.

A surveillance video of the incident was released by the police four days after the shooting, on 26 November.

On 3 June 2015, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office declared that their investigation had been completed and that they had turned their findings over to the county prosecutor.

Several months later the prosecution presented evidence to a grand jury, which declined to indict, primarily on the basis that Rice was drawing what appears to be an actual firearm from his waist as the police arrived.

A lawsuit brought against the city of Cleveland by Rice's family was subsequently settled for $6 million.

In the aftermath of the shooting it was revealed that Loehmann, in his previous job as a police officer in the Cleveland suburb of Independence, Ohio, had been deemed an emotionally unstable recruit and unfit for duty.

Loehmann did not disclose this fact on his application to join the Cleveland police, and the Cleveland Police Department did not review his previous personnel file before hiring him.

In 2017, following an investigation, Loehmann was fired for withholding this information on his application.

A review by retired FBI agent Kimberly Crawford found that Rice's death was justified and Loehmann's "response was a reasonable one".

The incident received both national and international coverage.

It occurred on the heels of several other high-profile shootings of African-American males by police officers.