Tamir Rice's Family Alleges Excessive Force, Negligence, Emotional Distress, False Imprisonment, Denial of Due Process
Those who want justice for Rice might have little faith in a grand jury's ability to make the right call.
The family of Tamir Rice—the 12-year-old Cleveland kid killed by cops for possessing a fake gun last November—has updated its lawsuits against the police to include new allegations. The revised lawsuit now claims excessive force, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and due process violations. It also alleges that officers falsely imprisoned Rice's sister when they handcuffed her and placed her in a squad car while her brother bled to death, according to The Huffington Post:
In the amended lawsuit, the family questions whether the rookie officer who fired at Tamir had first sufficiently ordered him to raise his hands and drop the weapon. The surveillance video doesn't clarify that issue because it doesn't include audio.
The Cuyahoga County sheriff's department is investigating the shooting. A prosecutor has promised that a grand jury will consider whether criminal charges are merited.
Those who want justice for Rice might have little faith in a grand jury's ability to make the right call, given the Michael Brown and Eric Garner decisions. But the Rice case has something the other two did not: a clear history of incompetence on the part of the cop who committed the shooting. Officer Timothy Loehmann was deemed "unfit for duty," incompetent with firearms, and kicked off a previous police force before Cleveland hired him.
Related: "Police Union Boss Defends Killing of Tamir Rice: 'When We Tell You To Do Something, Do It.'