This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/officials-release-video-names-in-fatal-police-shooting-of-12-year-old-cleveland-boy/2014/11/26/46df8131-166a-4a20-9046-811478fc3c5f_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Video, names released in fatal police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland Video shows Cleveland officer shooting 12-year-old Tamir Rice within seconds
(about 1 hour later)
Cleveland police have released the names of the two officers involved in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy along with a surveillance video of the incident showing a rookie officer firing shots within seconds of leaving his police car. A rookie Cleveland police officer responding to a 911 call jumped out of a cruiser and within seconds shot and killed a 12-year-old boy wielding what later turned out to be a BB gun, according to surveillance video released by authorities Wednesday.
Timothy Loehmann, 26, and Frank Garmback, 46, responded to a 911 call Saturday about a young black male wielding a gun in a park, which led to Loehmann shooting and killing Tamir Rice, 12. He died Sunday after being shot in the torso while holding what turned out to be a BB gun. Loehmann fired the fatal shot from about 10 feet away. Video of the fatal Saturday shooting of Tamir Rice, 12, by Officer Timothy Loehmann, 26, was made public at the request of Tamir’s family. “It is our belief that this situation could have been avoided and that Tamir should still be here with us. The video shows one thing distinctly: the police officers reacted quickly,” reads a statement from the family, who also called on the community to remain calm.
Attorneys for the boy’s family watched the video earlier this week, and the family eventually watched it as well before asking authorities to release the full footage. The video’s release comes after days of protests in Cleveland, centered on Tamir’s death and also responding to the grand jury decision in the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson by a white officer. Loehmann is white, according to public records, and Officer Frank Garmback, 46, drove the patrol car. Both have been placed on administrative leave, under department policy.
“The release of this video is in no means an effort to try and explain the actions of the division of police or of the young man,” Deputy Police Chief Edward Tomba said at a news conference Wednesday — hours after about 200 people protesting the fatal shooting blocked traffic on a busy Cleveland street. “We are honoring the wishes of the family in releasing this and also in the spirit of being open and fair with our community.” “The release of this video is in no means an effort to try and explain the actions of the division of police or of the young man,” Deputy Police Chief Edward Tomba said at a news conference Wednesday — hours after about 200 people protesting the fatal shooting blocked traffic on a busy Cleveland street. “We are honoring the wishes of the family in releasing this and also in the spirit of being open and fair with our community.”
Loehmann has been a Cleveland police officer since March, and Garmback joined the force in February 2008. Both are on administrative leave, per department policy. Loehmann is white, according to public records. Cleveland police did not immediately respond to a request to identify Garmback’s race. The grainy footage, which lacks audio, shows Tamir pacing up and down a sidewalk, swinging the gun in his hands, pointing it a few times and chatting on a cellphone.
According to police, witnesses reported seeing Tamir waving a gun and pointing it at people in a park. During Wednesday’s press conference, authorities played a 911 call in which a man tells a dispatcher “there’s a guy in here with a pistol, pointing it at everybody.” The caller says the gun is “probably fake” and then says: “I don’t know if it’s real or not.” He describes Tamir as “probably a juvenile.” A man shown sitting under a nearby gazebo made a 911 call, telling the dispatcher, “there’s a guy in here with a pistol, pointing it at everybody,” according to audio of the call. The caller said the gun is “probably fake, but you know what, he’s scaring the s— out of people,” and later said, “I don’t know if it’s real or not.” He described Tamir as “probably a juvenile.” He eventually left the park.
Information about the gun possibly being fake wasn’t mentioned to the officers, according to a dispatch recording that was played Wednesday. But information about the gun possibly being fake wasn’t mentioned to the officers in a call to them about a young black male with a gun in a park.
A grainy video shows the caller sitting under a park gazebo while Tamir walks around the park, at times swinging the gun in his hands. He also points the gun in a ready-to-shoot motion. In the video, which does not have audio, the caller is seeing leaving as Tamir sits under a gazebo. Tamir eventually sat alone under the gazebo. The video then shows the police car pull right up next to the structure. Loehmann shouted from the car three times at Tamir to show his hands as he approached the car, Tomba said. Loehmann exited the car, and within two seconds, shot Tamir from about 10 feet away.
A police cruiser eventually arrives. Tomba said on Wednesday that Loehmann shouted through his passenger-side car door three times for Tamir to show his hands as he approached the car. Loehmann shot Tamir within two seconds of exiting the patrol car. Police had earlier said two shots were fired by a single officer, and that Tamir had reached into his waistband when Loehmann shouted the commands.
Police had earlier said two shots were fired by a single officer, and and that Tamir had reached into his waistband when Loehmann shouted the commands. The gun turned out to be an Airsoft gun. Authorities had said it resembled a semiautomatic handgun and lacked the orange safety marker intended to signal that it’s a fake.
The gun turned out to be an Airsoft gun. Authorities had said it resembled a semiautomatic handgun and lacked the orange safety marker intended to signal that it’s a fake. “Shots fired, male down, um, black male, maybe 20,” one of the officers radioed in. “Black hand gun.”
Police also played the dispatch call one of the officers made after the shooting. “Shots fired, male down, um, black male, maybe 20,” one of the officers radioed in. “Black hand gun.” Within four minutes of the shooting, two other law enforcement officials arrived, and one performed first aid on Tamir, Tomba said. An ambulance came minutes later. Tamir died from his wound on Sunday.
Within four minutes of the shooting, two other law enforcement officials arrived, and one performed first aid on Tamir, Tomba said. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Loehmann has been a Cleveland police officer since March, and Garmback, a certified field training officer, joined the force in February 2008. They have both already given statements and police are still looking for witnesses, including one other person shown walking with Tamir.
The investigation into the shooting continues and police are still looking for witnesses. The officers have already given statements. The case will be sent to a grand jury for possible charges, according to Reuters. Results from the police investigation will be sent to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, which could ask for additional work. The evidence will be presented to a grand jury for possible charges, as is the policy with all fatal police shootings.
In a statement earlier this week, Tamir’s family said, “While we request the release of the complete video, we also ask for the media to give our family privacy as we continue to grieve and learn about what happened.” Last year, the U.S. Justice Department opened an investigation into the Cleveland Police over allegations of excessive and unreasonable deadly force.
“We feel he did not deserve to be taken away from us,” the statement read. “We feel the actions of the patrol officer who took our son’s life must be made public.” In a statement earlier this week, Tamir’s family said, “While we request the release of the complete video, we also ask for the media to give our family privacy as we continue to grieve and learn about what happened.”
Chief Calvin Williams requested the public respect the highly-sensitive nature of the video. “This is a 12-year-old boy. We want people to view this video with that in mind,” he said Wednesday. “We feel he did not deserve to be taken away from us,” the statement read.
As people around the country protested a grand jury’s decision in the Darren Wilson case in Ferguson, Mo., demonstrations in Cleveland centered around Tamir’s death. On Tuesday night, 200 protesters took to a city square and spilled into the street, the Plain Dealer reported. Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams requested the public respect the highly-sensitive nature of the video. “This is 12 year old boy. We want people to view this video with that in mind,” he said Wednesday.
The protests remained peaceful, the paper reported. Within hours of the video’s release, several Cleveland organizations called to demonstrate the shooting, according to the Plain Dealer. About 200 protesters gathered in a city square Tuesday night and spilled into the street in a mostly peaceful protest, the paper reported.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said Monday that Tamir’s death wasn’t connected to what was happening in Ferguson. “We’re attempting to be as transparent as we can at this time in order for people to know we do care. This hurts us,” Jackson said, the Wall Street Journal reported. By early Wednesday night, a handful of protesters had already come out, but the video’s release didn’t spark immediate mass demonstrations.
Rally for justice for #tamirrice still at corner of Ontario and S Roadway pic.twitter.com/WEzC4Kvp5b — Evan MacDonald (@evanmac3) November 26, 2014
Rally for justice for #tamirrice still at corner of Ontario and S Roadway pic.twitter.com/WEzC4Kvp5b
— Evan MacDonald (@evanmac3) November 26, 2014
Need to head down right now! Please RT and spread the word, rally at Cleveland City Hall, e. 6th and Lakeside at 4pm! #TamirRice — Puncture The Silence (@PTS_CLE) November 26, 2014
Need to head down right now! Please RT and spread the word, rally at Cleveland City Hall, e. 6th and Lakeside at 4pm! #TamirRice
— Puncture The Silence (@PTS_CLE) November 26, 2014
“Please protest peacefully and responsibly. Your prayers, kind words and condolences have meant so much to us,” Tamir’s family statement read. “We understand that some of you are hurt, angry and sad about our loss.”
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said Wednesday that Tamir’s death wasn’t connected to what was happening in Ferguson.
“Whether there was Ferguson there or not, that doesn’t matter to me. What mattered to me was it happened in Cleveland, and it happened to a child,” Jackson said. “It’s about the child, the loss of his life, the grieving of his family, and what we have to do as a community.”
[Alice Crites contributed to this post, which has been updated.][Alice Crites contributed to this post, which has been updated.]