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Cleveland Police Tamir Rice Shooting Update: Officer Shot Boy From 'Very Close' Distance, Is Under Investigation
By*Julia [email protected]@ibtimes.com on November 24 2014 12:30 PM
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Police wear riot gear in Ferguson, Mo. in August. The city's protests over police violence were mentioned Monday in a news conference in Cleveland, where an officer fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice this weekend. Reuters
The Cleveland police officer who fatally shot unarmed 12-year-old Tamir E. Rice fired from a distance of fewer than 10 feet,*police confirmed in a news conference Monday. They also said there's a video recording of the events leading up to, during and after the shooting, which took place in an Ohio park after Rice pulled out a BB gun.
The officer, whose name has not yet been released, was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, said police Chief Calvin Williams.*He had been on the force for a year, Cleveland.com reported, and has not been formally interviewed about the incident.
A 911 caller told a dispatcher Saturday that Tamir was pulling a gun -- "probably fake" -- from his waistband and pointing it at passers-by. Two officers arrived and saw the gun on a picnic table before Tamir took it and put it in his waistband. They*told Tamir to raise his hands, but he lifted his shirt and pulled out the gun,*Cleveland.com reported. One of the officers shot him twice, and Tamir died Sunday in the hospital.
Tamir's BB gun did not have on its federally mandated orange cap. It's unclear whether the dispatcher communicated to the responding officers that the caller thought the gun was fake, said Deputy Chief Ed Tomba.*The ongoing police investigation must be completed within 90 days. At that point, the evidence will be turned over to the county prosecutor's office, and after that the police will conduct an internal review.
In the meantime, families should explain to their children that weapons should not be played with, Williams said at the conference. "Guns are not toys," he said. "The facsimile weapon in this incident is indistinguishable from a real firearm."
The Cleveland shooting comes as Ferguson, Mo. waits for a grand jury to return a ruling on whether to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, for fatally shooting unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. Protests in Ferguson have raised questions about race relations and police violence.
"Whether there was Ferguson out there or not doesn't matter to me,"*Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said. "What matters to me is that it happened in Cleveland, and it happened to a child."
Police are not the enemy, Williams said at the news conference. They're there to help and should be listened to.*"There is no time a Cleveland police officer wants to go out and shoot a kid," Williams said.
Cleveland Police Tamir Rice Shooting Update: Officer Shot Boy From 'Very Close' Distance, Is Under Investigation
By*Julia [email protected]@ibtimes.com on November 24 2014 12:30 PM
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Police wear riot gear in Ferguson, Mo. in August. The city's protests over police violence were mentioned Monday in a news conference in Cleveland, where an officer fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice this weekend. Reuters
The Cleveland police officer who fatally shot unarmed 12-year-old Tamir E. Rice fired from a distance of fewer than 10 feet,*police confirmed in a news conference Monday. They also said there's a video recording of the events leading up to, during and after the shooting, which took place in an Ohio park after Rice pulled out a BB gun.
The officer, whose name has not yet been released, was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, said police Chief Calvin Williams.*He had been on the force for a year, Cleveland.com reported, and has not been formally interviewed about the incident.
A 911 caller told a dispatcher Saturday that Tamir was pulling a gun -- "probably fake" -- from his waistband and pointing it at passers-by. Two officers arrived and saw the gun on a picnic table before Tamir took it and put it in his waistband. They*told Tamir to raise his hands, but he lifted his shirt and pulled out the gun,*Cleveland.com reported. One of the officers shot him twice, and Tamir died Sunday in the hospital.
Tamir's BB gun did not have on its federally mandated orange cap. It's unclear whether the dispatcher communicated to the responding officers that the caller thought the gun was fake, said Deputy Chief Ed Tomba.*The ongoing police investigation must be completed within 90 days. At that point, the evidence will be turned over to the county prosecutor's office, and after that the police will conduct an internal review.
In the meantime, families should explain to their children that weapons should not be played with, Williams said at the conference. "Guns are not toys," he said. "The facsimile weapon in this incident is indistinguishable from a real firearm."
The Cleveland shooting comes as Ferguson, Mo. waits for a grand jury to return a ruling on whether to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, for fatally shooting unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. Protests in Ferguson have raised questions about race relations and police violence.
"Whether there was Ferguson out there or not doesn't matter to me,"*Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said. "What matters to me is that it happened in Cleveland, and it happened to a child."
Police are not the enemy, Williams said at the news conference. They're there to help and should be listened to.*"There is no time a Cleveland police officer wants to go out and shoot a kid," Williams said.
