December 1, 2015
By John Seewer
A white Cleveland patrolman (click here) shot a 12-year-old black boy carrying a pellet gun told investigators that he and his partner continuously yelled "show me your hands" before he fired the fatal shots, according to the officer's statement released by prosecutors Tuesday.
The rookie officer said of the estimated two-second encounter that Tamir Rice didn't obey his commands and that he saw the boy pulling a weapon out of his waist band.
"I knew it was a gun and I knew it was coming out," officer Timothy Loehmann said in the statement given to investigators.
It turned out Tamir was carrying a nonlethal, Airsoft-type gun that shoots plastic pellets when Loehmann shot him twice outside a recreation center on Nov. 22, 2014. He died a day later.
A grand jury will decide if Loehmann or his field training officer should be charged criminally for Tamir's death....
There was absolutely no MEANINGFUL warning. The police are lying. They shot before they thought yet alone warn a 12 year old to put his toy on the ground and put his hands up.
By John Seewer
A white Cleveland patrolman (click here) shot a 12-year-old black boy carrying a pellet gun told investigators that he and his partner continuously yelled "show me your hands" before he fired the fatal shots, according to the officer's statement released by prosecutors Tuesday.
The rookie officer said of the estimated two-second encounter that Tamir Rice didn't obey his commands and that he saw the boy pulling a weapon out of his waist band.
"I knew it was a gun and I knew it was coming out," officer Timothy Loehmann said in the statement given to investigators.
It turned out Tamir was carrying a nonlethal, Airsoft-type gun that shoots plastic pellets when Loehmann shot him twice outside a recreation center on Nov. 22, 2014. He died a day later.
A grand jury will decide if Loehmann or his field training officer should be charged criminally for Tamir's death....
There was absolutely no MEANINGFUL warning. The police are lying. They shot before they thought yet alone warn a 12 year old to put his toy on the ground and put his hands up.
