Cleveland Police have released surveillance video of the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice on Wednesday. The video was released in full at the request of the Rice family according to NewsNet5. Police also released audio of the 911 call and the dispatch call to the officers.
Tamir was fatally shot outside of Cleveland’s Cudell Recreation Center on Saturday after police officers responded to a 911 call describes a male waving a possibly fake gun at people. It was discovered afterwords that the gun in question was an airsoft gun with the orange safety tip removed. Without the tip, the gun closely resembles a semi-automatic pistol that can be difficult to distinguish from a real gun.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– 911 Caller ” author_title=”Describing Tamir Rice waving gun outside Cleveland rec center “]
There’s a guy in there with a pistol, you know, it’s probably fake, but he’s like pointing it at everybody..He’s sitting on a swing right now, but he’s pulling it in and out of his pants and pointing it at people. He’s probably a juvenile, you know?
[/quote]
Cleveland Police Commander Ed Tomba said the officers arrived on scene within four minutes after the 911 call. The officers reportedly told Tamir to put his hands up three times before they shot him in the torso after it looked like he was reaching for the weapon at his waist. The officers fired two shots from the vehicle but it’s not known if Tamir was hit by both. He later died at MetroHealth Hospital.
It also appears that officers were not aware that they were dealing with a possible youth with a fake gun, as the dispatcher never relayed that information to them as per the dispatch audio.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– 911 Dispatch ” author_title=”Describing male with a gun at rec center “]
I’ve got a code 1, if anybody can break at Cudell. In the park by the youth center, there’s supposed to be a male sitting on the swings, pointing a gun at people
[/quote]
Authorities have up to three months to decide if the case will be presented to the grand jury. Tomba said “statements must be gathered, evidence remains to be gathered as we try to piece together what took place.”
The officers involved, Timothy Loehmann, 26, and Frank Garmback, 46 or both on paid administrative leave during the investigation into the shooting. Loehmann, reportedly the officer who shot Tamir, has been an officer since 2012 and has been with the CPD since March, 2013.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Ed Tomba ” author_title=”On Timothy Loehmann, officer who shot Tamir Rice “]
As you can imagine, he’s very distraught, as we all are, over what took place and we do want to support him and give him his space.
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Tomba says releasing the video is not a ploy to exonerate the police or prove that Tamir was doing anything “wrong” but an effort to show transparency and “We are doing it for the wishes of the family and being fair to the community.”
Citizens took to the streets of Downtown Cleveland in honor of Tamir and also to show solidarity to Ferguson Tuesday night in a peaceful protest. Several hundred protesters blocked traffic on Public Square and later a freeway exit ramp chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace.”
