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Six years ago today, an Ohio man who spent the afternoon drinking called 911 to report someone with a gun. The 911 dispatcher failed to mention that he’d said it was a juvenile and the gun was likely fake (the dispatcher was later suspended but kept her job). What happened next?
Police showed up at a Cleveland park and within TWO SECONDS shot and killed Tamir Rice, 12. He was holding a fake “airsoft” gun in a state that allows open carry.
Later it was revealed that the officer who shot Tamir was deemed unstable and unfit for duty in another job.
Later it was revealed that the officer who shot Tamir was deemed unstable and unfit for duty in another job.
The fake gun Tamir Rice was holding was later found to lack an orange-tipped barrel, which would have indicated it was a toy.
Who fights against adding orange tips? You got it, the @NRA. They don’t want to “demonize anything remotely related to firearms.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bang-the-troubled-legacy-of-toy-guns/2014/12/22/96494ea8-86f8-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html
Who fights against adding orange tips? You got it, the @NRA. They don’t want to “demonize anything remotely related to firearms.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bang-the-troubled-legacy-of-toy-guns/2014/12/22/96494ea8-86f8-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor refused to file criminal charges against the officers who killed Tamir Rice, arguing that there wasn’t enough evidence, and a grand jury declined to indict them. The city of Cleveland settled a civil lawsuit filed by Rice’s family for $6 million.
In 2018, the former officer who fatally shot Tamir Rice was offered a position with the Bellaire, Ohio, police force. The police chief said he offered the job because he “believes in second chances.” After public pressure, the job was not accepted. https://wtov9.com/news/local/bellaire-willing-to-give-loehmann-a-second-chance
Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice's mother, recently spoke out on what should have been her son's 18th birthday: "I am doing OK these days, but I'm still sick though, mentally, physically, emotionally. You know, it's just messed up."
