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In the 911 call that reported a boy waving a gun around at a Cleveland park, the caller says the gun was probably fake. Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police. It's unclear if the officers were ever told the gun might be fake. VPC
Tamir E. Rice died at MetroHealth Medical Center early Sunday morning after a Cleveland police officer shot him outside the Cudell Recreation Center.(Photo: Family photo)
Surveillance video is "very clear on what took place" at a Cleveland playground when a police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy brandishing a fake gun, police said Monday.
Tamir Rice was shot twice Saturday afternoon and died at a hospital Sunday morning.
Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said the officer, one of two who responded to a dispatcher's call, was less than 10 feet from Tamir when the confrontation took place. He declined to say if the video matches the officer's description of events, saying a full interview of the officer has not been conducted.
Tomba said the video has been shown to representatives of the family. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said the video will be released, but did not say when.
The identities of the officers have not been made public. Both are on paid administrative leave pending completion of the investigation, which Tomba said could take three months.
Tomba said one officer fired twice after the boy pulled the fake weapon from his waistband, but had not pointed it at police. The boy did not make any verbal threats, but grabbed the replica handgun after being told to raise his hands, Tomba said.
Police Chief Calvin Williams said the "airsoft"-type BB gun was indistinguishable from a real semi-automatic pistol.
"Guns are not toys," Police Chief Williams said. "We need to teach our kids that."
"Who would've thought he would go so soon?" Gregory Henderson, a close friend of Tamir's family, told WKYC-TV. "To be 12 years old, he doesn't know what he's doing. Police, they know what they're doing."
Henderson also questioned why police did not use a Taser-type weapon.
"You shot him twice, not once, and at the end of the day you all don't shoot for the legs, you shoot for the upper body," Henderson said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.Henderson, identified by that newspaper's website as Tamir's father, said Tamir was a "respectful" young man who minded his elders.
A 911 call to police in which a man says the gun was "probably fake" has added to the controversy.
Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the officers were not told the caller thought the gun might be fake. He said an officer taking a Taser out when they believe there could be a person with a gun puts the officer at risk, the Plain Dealer reported.
The hacker group Anonymous claimed responsibility Monday for shutting down the City of Cleveland's website after Rice's shooting, WKYC said.
Rice's friends and family brought posters, candles and teddy bears to the scene.
USA TODAY
Boy with replica gun fatally shot by Cleveland police
Photo shows Cleveland police investigating a scene after an officer fired two shots, killing Tamir E. Rice, 12.(Photo: Cory Schaffer, AP)
The shooting comes amid a continued nationwide focus on police incidents, including the ongoing grand jury investigation in Ferguson, Mo., and the fatal shooting of a Florida policeman during a house fire outside Tallahassee on Saturday.
State Rep. Alicia Reece of Cincinnati announced Sunday she will introduce legislation to require all BB guns, air rifles and airsoft guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored or have prominent fluorescent strips.
Reece, president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, said she is introducing the bill in response to the fatal shootings of Rice and John Crawford III, 22.
Crawford was fatally shot by police on Aug. 5 after a man called 911 to report that Crawford was carrying a gun in a suburban Dayton Walmart store. Police said they believed the air rifle Crawford had picked up was a real rifle and that he didn't respond to commands to drop it.
A special grand jury concluded police officers' actions were justified. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.
Contributing: Wale Aliyu, WKYC; Associated Press
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