Tamir Rice

Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann on November 22, 2014 while playing with a toy airsoft gun; he died the next day.

What happened

A 911 caller reported someone with a gun near the Cudell Park Recreation Center but said the person might be a child and the gun might be fake. Those two crucial caveats were not passed to the responding officers. A patrol car driven by Frank Garmback approached Tamir near a gazebo and, according to the Justice Department's video analysis, Loehmann fired within two seconds of opening the passenger-side door. Tamir was struck in the abdomen and died November 23. His sister was handcuffed after responding to the shooting. The shooting sparked widespread calls for police accountability and closer examination of dispatch failures, crisis assessment, and the decision to drive directly toward a child without securing distance.

Investigation & findings

A county grand jury declined charges in 2015; DOJ closed its federal criminal review in December 2020, finding it could not satisfy the relevant proof requirements. The DOJ report confirms the initial dispatch omitted both the child's possible age and the possibility that the gun was a toy. The incident was November 22 and death November 23.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Published updates

Sources & records