In an unusual move for a department in the throes of investigation, Cleveland police leaders today released the video of Tamir Rice being shot at Cudell Rec Center.
Police Chief Calvin Williams said the department decided to do this after cooperating with the family’s wishes over the last few days. The release came at the request of Tamir Rice’s family after they were first given the opportunity to watch the video.
“I just want people to bear in mind that, again, this is a 12-year-old boy,” Williams said, cautioning news media against a frenzy.
Police also released the names of the responding officers: Timothy Loehmann, 26, Badge #1231, appointed to the department March 3, 2014, and Frank Garmback, 46, Badge #1582, appointed to the department Feb. 25, 2008. Loehmann was riding on the passenger side of the vehicle and was the officer who shot Tamir.
The video had been “compressed for time,” deputy chief Ed Tomba said, as Tamir occasionally is seen moving off-camera for minutes at a time. Police showed the silent video in its entirety, then once again with narration from Tomba.
The 9-1-1 caller is seen sitting at a picnic table while Tamir paces back and forth on the sidewalk. Tamir is seen throwing a snowball, talking on his cell phone and pointing the air-soft gun in front of him at least twice throughout the series of video clips.
Police arrive at 3:30 p.m., after Tamir had been sitting at a picnic table for some time. The squad car pulls up very close to Tamir, and then everything happens very fast: The officer riding in on the passenger side of the car gets out, and Tamir can be seen lifting his shirt with his right hand. Immediately, Tamir is seen falling down. Two shots were fired within “one-and-a-half to two seconds” of the officers pulling up, Tomba said.
“Three commands were given to show your hands by Officer Loehmann,” Tomba said. “[The commands came] out the door…as they pulled up.” Tomba wasn’t clear when asked by reporters whether Tamir said anything to the officers.
WKYC has uploaded the portion of the video involving the officers’ response.
Earlier in the news conference, police played back audio clips that led to the response.
The original 9-1-1 audio was played as news reporters gathered downtown for the event. The caller referred to the weapon as “probably fake” on two occasions. The caller also said that the person was “probably a juvenile, you know?”
Then an audio clip of the dispatcher communicating with First District responders was played. The dispatcher referred to “a guy sitting on the swings, pointing a gun at people.” There’s no indication that the 9-1-1 caller expressed doubt about the weapon. The officer on the other end of the line, reached near West 159th Street and Lorain, is heard as he begins heading toward the park. Later: “Shots fired,” from the officer.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2014.
It’s a shame that if the poor young man would’ve put his hands up as he was warned. He would be alive today.
He was a child behaving like a child playing with a toy gun
The fifth amendment says “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. This boy was deprived the right to live without very much of a warning at all. The cops flew up there, swung open the door and shot him. Almost like the cop couldn’t wait to shoot someone. You can’t just kill someone like that, even if you are a police officer, aka public servant. The role of government is defined in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men”
My child definitely doesn’t have a gun that looks like a .45 caliber Beretta nor would I allow him to have access to it if he did. Sorry, but my common sense has not escaped me.
“It’s a shame…had he put up his hands.”
Let the victim blaming begin.
By the which nano second should he have done that before it was ok to kill him?
“Let the victim blaming begin”
Orders were yelled from the car, he clearly lifted his shirt and reached into his pants. What would you do? Wait until he shot you. Too late, lady. Then the “victim” gets two years in state pen and gets out in one.
There are unfortunately many nuances to this story, many related to life today.
When I was a child, we all had toy guns. Back then, cops weren’t afraid for their lives 24/7 as they are now.
Back then, we had some respect for a badge, today, we don’t, and the cops know that.
I feel terribly for the boy, I feel terrible for the cop, I feel terrible for the way we all have become.
“He was reaching for his gun.”
Why the hell would he reach to defend himself with a gun he obviously knew was fake? How can that make sense to any reasonable adult?
First of all the caller said “probably fake”. He didn’t know for sure. What if the dispatcher had relayed this or said the caller says it is a fake and then it turned out it wasn’t? If the kid had shot and killed an officer then the dispatcher is still the bad guy for relaying that info. Hindsight is always 20/20. It’s easy to sit back and say they should have done this or should have done that. Until you have done their job and been in that situation maybe it is better not to judge.
DONT CALL HIMA YOUNG MAN HE WAS A CHILD THANK YOU YOU PEICE OF SHIT
Dispatcher should be fired! Their job is to correctly relay reliable information to the responding officers, they didn’t do that. And possibly if she/he had done their job correctly this child might be alive today.
You people have no clue what it’s like to make split second desision that could mean life and death. Once you put your self in a situation like that you have no room to talk.
I would like here tbe actual audio. Not tje hear say from someone who wasn’t even there,and. I find it intèresting they only show a silent video,not the whole original.and why after shooting. Did they not try to do CPR? They could see he was a child and the gun wasn’t real.but do nothing to help after.instead another person did 4 mins later. That 4mins could have saved this baby