Two and a half years after the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, the police officer who killed him was finally terminated.
Not for the senseless killing of the Cleveland pre-teen, but for lying on his job application.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said at a news conference Tuesday that officer Timothy Loehmann was fired for inaccuracies on his application form, while officer Frank Garmback, who was driving that fateful day in November 2014, was suspended for 10 days for violating a tactical rule while operating the vehicle.
Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, said in a statement, “I am relieved Loehmann has been fired because he should never have been a police officer in the first place — but he should have been fired for shooting my son in less than one second, not just for lying on his application. Garmback should be fired too, for his role in pulling up too close to Tamir.”
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Loehmann was allowed to resign from the Independence department after six months following a series of incidents where supervisors determined he was unfit to be a police officer.
“The disciplinary letter cites a letter in Loehmann’s personnel file from Independence that says he was emotionally immature and had ‘an inability to emotionally function.’ The letter also cites an emotional breakdown Loehmann had on the gun range in Independence.”
A grand jury did not bring criminal charges against the two officers in 2015, even though Rice’s death was ruled a homicide by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner.