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Cleveland: Officer Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Fired—But Not for Killing

HeadlineMay 31, 2017

Back in the United States, in Cleveland, the police officer who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice has been fired—but not over the shooting of the African-American boy. In 2014, officer Timothy Loehmann shot Rice within two seconds of arriving at a Cleveland park where Rice was playing with a toy pellet gun. Neither Loehmann nor his partner, Frank Garmback, administered any first aid. When Tamir’s 14-year-old sister rushed to her brother’s side, they tackled her to the ground, handcuffed her and put her in the cruiser. Tamir died the next day. A Cleveland Police Department investigation concluded the two officers did not violate department policies in killing the child. But on Tuesday, officials said Loehmann will be fired after a second investigation found he’d lied in his job application to the police department. Tamir Rice’s mother Samaria said, “I am relieved Loehmann has been fired because he should never have been a police officer in the first place—but he should have been fired for shooting my son in less than one second, not just for lying on his application.”

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