According to the father of the Cleveland police officer who shot Tamir Rice, the man felt as though he had no choice. Rice, 12, was killed on Nov. 22 when Cleveland police mistook his toy gun for a real one.
Surveillance footage of the incident shows rookie police officer Tim Loehmann, 26, shooting rice mere seconds after a police car stopped in front of the boy. According to the Associated Press, Loehmann's father, Fred, explained to the Northeast Ohio Media group that his son didn't feel as though he had another option.
"I was right there and he went for the gun," Fred Loehmann remembers his son saying. "I had no choice."
Statements from Loehmann and his partner, Frank Garmback, have yet to be released, and although both are off administrative leave, they have not returned to patrol. An internal investigation into the incident is ongoing, and a grand jury will decide whether Loehmann's actions warrant criminal charges.
[via Associated Press and Northeast Ohio Media Group]
