Tamir Rice, November 22, 2014
Near Cleveland, Ohio
Tamir Rice was twelve years old and playing alone at the Cudell Recreation Center on Cleveland's west side on the afternoon of November twenty-second, two thousand fourteen. He had a toy airsoft gun, black with an orange tip that had been removed. He was sitting at a picnic table near a gazebo, pointing the gun at no one in particular, the way twelve-year-olds with toy guns sometimes do in parks.
A caller reported a male with a pistol to the Cleveland police. The caller told the dispatcher twice that the gun was probably fake, and noted that the person appeared to be a juvenile. Neither piece of information was relayed to the officers who responded.
Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback arrived in a patrol car. They drove across the grass directly to where Tamir was sitting. Officer Loehmann stepped out of the car and shot Tamir within approximately two seconds of arriving on the scene. Tamir died the following day.
A grand jury declined to file charges against either officer in December two thousand fifteen. In December two thousand twenty, the United States Department of Justice also declined to pursue federal charges. No criminal charges were filed.
The city of Cleveland entered into a settlement with Tamir Rice's family in April two thousand sixteen, paying six million dollars.
The Cudell Recreation Center where Tamir was killed remained open. The gazebo where he was shot was removed after community members asked that it be taken down. A memorial was placed near the site. The park is in a neighborhood on the west side where many children play.
