Data Visualizations: A Look at Fatal Police Shootings

Attendees of a rally for Tamir Rice in Union Square, New York City. (Yahoo News/Siemond Chan)
Attendees of a rally for Tamir Rice in Union Square, New York City. (Yahoo News/Siemond Chan)

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Tamir Rice, the Cleveland boy who was shot by a white police officer while he was carrying a toy pellet gun. Vigils were held in Cleveland and other cities to commemorate the 12-year-old black boy.

On Nov. 22, 2014, Tamir was playing with a borrowed toy plastic pellet gun. The toy gun bore resemblances to a real firearm because the of its missing orange plastic safety tip, and someone called 911. Officer Timothy Loehmann, the rookie patrolman who was first on the scene, shot and wounded Tamir within seconds of his arrival. Tamir Rice died the next day. Two reports by outside experts were released in October by an Ohio prosecutor's office, concluding that the fatal shooting was a reasonable response to a perceived threat. A grand jury is hearing testimony about the shooting, to determine if criminal charges will be filed against officer Timothy Loehmann. The incident was captured on surveillance video, and the question remained is if officer Loehmann told Tamir to raise his hands before firing two shots, one of which struck Tamir.

The visualizations below examine data about incidents fatal police shootings in 2015.