Cleveland police have released the names of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was gunned down on Saturday in a Cleveland park after the officers mistook Rice’s airsoft gun for a real one.
The video (which Rice’s family requested be made public) shows two officers—26-year-old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmback—arrive at the park, and after shouting three warnings through the passenger window of the police cruiser, Loehmann gets out of the car and within two seconds opens fire on Rice from approximately 10 feet away.
Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Edward Tomba said that “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. We are honoring the wishes of the family in releasing this and also in the spirit of being open and fair with our community.”
This instance of police seemingly using excessive force on a child comes just as Ferguson, Mo. officer Darren Wilson avoided indictment in the Michael Brown shooting, sparking massive protests across the country.
[via Washington Post]
