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News > World

Cleveland Activist Request Arrest Warrants on Police Officers

  • Picture of Tamir Rice provided by his family

    Picture of Tamir Rice provided by his family | Photo: Daily Kos

Published 16 June 2015
Opinion

The activists have raised concern as six months have passed since the shooting of Tamir Rice.

A group of eight activists that have helped the family of Tamir Rice are requesting an arrest warrant for officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback.

The eight activists – made up of legal experts – issued the request to Cleveland law director Barbara Langhenry, who oversees city prosecutors.

Rice, a 12 year-old boy, was playing in a park with a toy gun on Nov. 2014, when both police officers arrived at the scene and fatally shot Rice in less than a minute.

The group of eight activists – known as Cleveland 8 – helped the Rice family in their son's case, by submitting affidavits to Judge Ronald B. Adrine. The judge found a probable cause for charging officer Loehmann with murder.

Officer Garmack would face negligent homicide and dereliction of duty charges, given that both officers failed to provide first aid assistance to Rice.

"We are concerned that in six months, we have not seen any activity … we are extremely hopeful that the city will issue these arrest warrants,"  said Edward Little one of the activists to issue the request.

The move comes after the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, which took over the investigation into Tamir's death in January, issued a 244-page report which has brought new key evidence to the case.

According to the report, and contrary to what the Cleveland Police Department claims, the officers did not issue a warning before shooting the 12-year old dead.

The police officers claim that Rice reached for his toy gun after they had warned him not to move, but video footage shows the officers shooting less than a minute after arrival.

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