The mother of Tamir Rice is demanding that a special prosecutor be hired to investigate the November death of her 12-year-old son.
Rice was fatally shot by Cleveland Officer Timothy Loehmann last Nov. 22 while holding a toy gun in a public park. A 911 caller reported a boy holding a “probably fake” gun, but the description of the firearm was never passed along to officers by the 911 operator. Within two seconds of arriving at the scene, Loehmann exited his car and shot Rice, who died at a hospital the following day.
Officer Acted ‘Reasonably’ in Tamir Rice Shooting, Investigators Find
A medical examiner ruled Rice’s death a homicide, and in May, investigators completed their probe into the case. However, 11 months after the fatal shooting, no arrests have been made. Last week, two outside investigators found that Loehmann acted “reasonably” in shooting Rice. Their findings have been passed along to a grand jury.
Rice’s mother, Samaria Rice, is calling for justice. “Since the senseless shooting of my son, Tamir, I have had many sleepless nights and days,” she said at a press conference on Friday. “Almost a year, no justice, no peace. I am very disappointed in the way [county prosecutor] Timothy McGinty is handling this investigation. I would like for him to step down and allow an independent prosecutor to take over.”
McGinty has not responded to Rice’s demand.