In a fairly unusual development, Cleveland Municipal Judge Ronald Adrine ruled yesterday that there is probable cause to charge officer Timothy Loehmann with murder in connection with the shooting death of Tamir Rice. The opinion came days after a group of clergy and activists filed affidavits urging the court to consider such.
In sum, Adrine found probable cause to charge Loehmann with murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, negligent homicide, dereliction of duty. He similarly found probable cause to charge officer Frank Garmback with negligent homicide and dereliction of duty.
“Generally, the initiation of criminal proceedings in the State of Ohio is the preserve of the prosecuting authority within a given jurisdiction,” Adrine wrote. “However, state law does provide an avenue for a private citizen having knowledge of facts to initiate the criminal process.” We’re coming up on seven months since the shooting — a point that residents across the city have held as absurd.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty has said repeatedly that the case — the county’s investigation of which only recently concluded — will be sent to the Grand Jury.
“We are grateful that the wheels of justice are starting to turn,” the Rice family publicly stated.
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2015.
Tim McGinty no longer has a safety net being held by Dimora & Friends and his recent fumbling under a national spotlight shows a political hack from yesterday’s county machine completely overwhelmed when true leadership is needed today. And there is no hope that McGinty will find the courage to get fitted with a backbone tomorrow.
The officers saw a almost 6 ft male pulling a what they believed was a REAL handgun from his waistband a horrible tragic event. Not criminal, not racist, TRAGIC. They only knew what they saw in those split seconds and they took action that they were trained to do. More than 100 officers are killed every year by handguns. What would you do in those slit seconds? Who would you call if you saw someone with what looked like a gun in a park? What if they didn’t show up and it was real, the same people would be screaming the same hate.