The Cleveland Police Department announced on Tuesday that they will fire the officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. Timothy Loehmann no longer has a job. Another cop, Frank Garmback, will spend 10 days of suspension.
Suspension starts today, termination starts today officers notified today
— Dani Carlson (@DaniCarlsonTV) May 30, 2017
Rice was shot and killed after cops were notified of a black person pointing a gun at people outside a rec center. But Rice only had a toy gun, and the 911 caller suggested the apparent weapon was fake (police apparently weren’t notified of this important detail).
Deputy Police Chief Wayne Drummond said officers had largely followed rules, except:
Drummond says the only apparent violation was not alerting communications of their position
— Dani Carlson (@DaniCarlsonTV) May 30, 2017
Ofc. Loehmann was a probationary officer at time of shooting says Chief
— Dani Carlson (@DaniCarlsonTV) May 30, 2017
Loehmann isn’t being fired for the shooting. He’s losing his job because was a probationary officer, and officials said they discovered inconsistencies in his police application. Police Chief Calvin Williams promised the department will be more thorough in the future.
Changed hiring process in 2015 days Chief Williams. “Make sure we view and read through any personnel file…”
— Dani Carlson (@DaniCarlsonTV) May 30, 2017
Chief Williams says they now try to get employment history for all applicants
— Dani Carlson (@DaniCarlsonTV) May 30, 2017
Rice’s death sparked a fraught debate over how law enforcement treats black people, and whether this relationship is fair. A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann in 2015. His family settled a lawsuit with the city of Cleveland in 2016.
