“Tamir was 12 years old when he was shot and killed by police – a young boy with his entire life ahead of him, full of potential and promise”. Protestors took to the street the day after a grand jury declined to indict Cleveland Police officer Timothy Loehmann for the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014.
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The person who made the initial call to police said it was possible that the gun could be a toy but that information was never relayed to officers.
In December, a grand jury declined to indict the officer or his trainer in Tamir’s death.
The settlement was revealed via a court filing from U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, who presided over settlement talks. In fact, this wasn’t the first time Loomis blamed the 12-year-old for his death.
“So we’ll pay $3 million a year for two years”.
Officer Timothy Loehmann, a trainee, shot Tamir moments after arriving in response to the call.
Cleveland settled its lawsuits with the families of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell for $1.5 million each.
Tamir was holding the plastic pellet gun. Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the evidence did not warrant criminal charges.
The city of NY in July 2015 finalized a $5.9 million settlement with the family of Eric Garner, who was killed when a white police officer placed him in an illegal chokehold. Neither the city nor the officers or dispatchers involved will admit to any wrongdoing.
The family’s January 2015 wrongful death lawsuit argued the city was negligent in Tamir’s death.
Tamir died in the hospital the next day.
Reacting to the announcement of the settlement with the city, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association, Steve Loomis, also referred to the incident as “an absolute tragedy” for all involved.
The shooting of Tamir brought into light the treatment of police toward blacks, and sparked protests in the city. Initial police reports said that officers gave the boy many chances to comply, but dashcam footage showed otherwise.
Mayor Frank Jackson has scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference to discuss the settlement. Rice’s estate will receive $5.5 million, while his mother, Samaria Rice, and sister Tajai Rice will receive $250,000 a piece.
He said Loomis’ comments managed to “blame the victim, equate the loss of life of a 12-year-old child with officers facing public scrutiny for killing that child and demand money from the victim’s family”.
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Polster agreed to oversee settlement talks between attorneys for Rice’s family and the city’s lawyers last month.
