Cleveland police have video evidence of 12-year-old’s shooting death at the hands of an officer
Cleveland police say they have video of “exactly what happened” when an officer fatally shot a 12-year-old, Tamir Rice, over the weekend.
They asked the boy’s family if they would like to see the video evidence of the incident, but the family declined, Police Chief Calvin Williams said at a press conference Monday.
The Rice family’s representatives, however, did watch the footage, and it will be released to the public as the investigation continues, according to authorities.
“I want to extend my personal condolences to the Rice family for the loss of their child,” Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said. “These times are difficult for me, because I know there is nothing that I can say that would be adequate.”
On Saturday, a police officer shot and killed Rice at Cudell Recreation Center park on Cleveland’s west side.
Police say the boy was holding an Airsoft-type replica gun that looks like a semiautomatic pistol.
It was “indistinguishable from a real firearm," Williams said.
The orange indicator intended to show that the gun was not real, a safety feature that is typically found near the muzzle, had been removed, according to police.
“Guns are not toys, and we need to teach our kids that,” Williams said. “Our community needs to understand that. Guns are not toys.”
Police say the officer shot Rice in the torso when he pulled the fake gun from his waistband after being told to put his hands in the air.
Williams said that the boy’s death at 2:30 a.m. the following morning is a tragedy for the officers of the department, because they do not simply police the community, they are also members of the community.
“I have nieces and nephews around the same age as this young man,” he said. “And I’m sure I know that my family would also be heartbroken.”
Authorities declined to identify the officer, but confirmed that he was treated for an ankle injury after the incident and has been placed on administrative leave.
“He’s very distraught over what took place,” Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said.
Tomba, who outlined the investigation process at the press conference, confirmed that the officer was fewer than 10 feet from the boy when he pulled the trigger.
He said the tape is “very clear on what took place” but added that it needs to be enhanced and that further evidence needs to be gathered.
“Our mandate is to complete the investigation within 90 days and to have it in the hands of the Prosecutor’s Office for further review,” Tomba said.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty said that the video will be released to the public in due course.
“It is a very disturbing and emotional time for everybody working on the case, and we can only imagine the pain that the family is enduring right now,” he said.
Rice’s death comes during a time of heightened tension in Ferguson, Mo., over whether a police officer, Darren Wilson, will be indicted in the shooting death of another young African American male, Michael Brown.
Jackson and Williams both said that the controversy surrounding Ferguson is not a factor in their plans for handling Rice’s death. Cleveland has protocols in place for handling this type of incident.
When asked about the possibility of protests, Williams assured the crowd that demonstrators will be allowed to express their first amendment rights within the boundaries of the law.
“I want us to remember that a 12-year-old child lost his life,” Jackson said. “It’s about the child and the loss of his life, the grieving of family and what we have to do as a community.”
