Timothy Loehmann has been named as the rookie Cleveland cop who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice last Saturday afternoon. At a press conference today, the city police department revealed surveillance video of the shooting and released Loehmann’s name, along with the name of the other officer involved, Frank Garmback.
Here’s what we know about Loehmann and his role in the shooting.
1. He Shot Rice Less Than 2 Seconds After Arriving On-Scene
Surveillance video released today by the Cleveland Police Department shows Rice pointing and waving a realistic-looking airsoft pistol outdoors at the Cudell Recreation Center. Responding to a 911 call from a concerned citizen reporting a “probably juvenile” male waving a gun that is “probably fake,” Loehmann and Garmback arrived — Garmback driving, Loehmann in the passenger seat. The cruiser drives up to Rice. The video shows Loehmann exiting the cruiser before it comes to a full stop and shooting Rice less than two seconds later. The video has no sound, but according to police Loehmann shouted three times out the window for Rice to show his hands. According to police, Rice reached into his waistband and did not respond to the commands.
Listen to the 911 call below:
And here’s a dispatch recording as the shooting transpired:
2. He’s Been on the Force for 8 Months
Loehmann joined the Cleveland Police Department on March 3, 2014. NewsNet5 reports:
Loehmann graduated from the 131st/132nd class of the Cleveland Police Academy. … Loehmann had no disciplinary record at the Cleveland Police Department. Loehmann was an Independence Police Officer before Cleveland, beginning in July 2012. He graduated from Benedictine High School and lives in Parma.
3. He’s on Paid Leave
Both Loehmann and Garmback are on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.
According to a 2012 notice of job openings for patrol officers (below), the starting pay for rookie cops in Cleveland was $45,904.64 per year.
In the same posting, one of the locations to submit applications is Cudell Recreation Center, scene of Rice’s fatal shooting.
4. He Could Face Criminal Charges
Under a 2013 policy for police deadly force cases, the Rice shooting will be sent to the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury for possible charges, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty said. An Ohio grand jury in September decided not to press charges against two police officers who fatally shot a man while he held a pellet gun at a Dayton-area Walmart.
You can read the “Use of Force Policy and Practices Study for Cleveland Division of Police above.
5. The Release of the Surveillance Video Comes After a Plea From Rice’s Parents
Tamir Rice.
The release of the video comes after this public request from Rice’s parents, Samaria Rice and Leonard Warner:
We respectfully request that Mayor Frank Jackson and the City of Cleveland Division of Police release the complete video of the incident involving our son, Tamir E. Rice, and two unnamed patrol officers on Nov. 22, 2014.
The news of Tamir’s death has devastated our family. Tamir was a bright young man who had his whole life ahead of him. This is a tragedy in our eyes.
He was a loving brother. He was a grandson. He was a nephew and cousin. His favorite sport was basketball. Tamir often visited the Cudell Recreation Center to play with friends. Most of all, he enjoyed being around people. Everyone loved him.
The holiday season begins this week. Instead of the love, fellowship and joy the season brings to many families, we will be mourning the loss of Tamir. We looked forward to spending Thanksgiving with Tamir as a family. His mother’s birthday is on Christmas Eve. Now, she won’t have the opportunity to share it with her son. We feel he did not deserve to be taken away from us.
While we request the release of the complete video, we also ask for the media to give our family privacy as we continue to grieve and learn about what happened. We feel the actions of the patrol officer who took our son’s life must be made public.
