CLEVELAND - The police shooting of a 12-year-old boy
carrying a toy gun in Cleveland is under investigation as the community
questions what might have prevented a child's death.
Tamir Rice was shot Saturday after Cleveland
police responded to a call reporting "a guy with a pistol" at Cudell
Recreation Center.
"There's a guy with a pistol, and he's
pointing it at everybody," the caller is heard saying in an audio release.
"It's probably fake, but you know what, it's scaring the [expletive] out
of everyone."
Officers said they told Tamir to put up his
hands, but he instead reached for the gun -- described as an Airsoft,
resembling a semi-automatic pistol with the orange safety tip removed -- in his
waistband. A rookie officer fired two shots, hitting Tamir in the abdomen.
The boy did not make any verbal threats
toward police, nor did he point the gun at them.
He died Sunday
at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland
Police Patrolman's Association, said it was unclear whether dispatchers told
responding officers that the gun was likely a toy.
"Besides, we have to assume every gun is
real," Follmer said.
"When we don't, that's they day we don't go home."
For Gregory Henderson, Tamir's father, the
official story is not nearly enough.
"Why not Tase him?" Henderson
asked, calling his son a "respectful" young man who would
have followed police orders. "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."
Follmer said officers are trained to shoot
for the body if they feel their lives to be in danger.
Timothy Kucharski, an attorney for Tamir's
family, said he would conduct an investigation "parallel" to the one
being led by police.
"If in fact we determine Tamir's rights
are violated, we will proceed with civil action against the police," Kurcharski told the BBC.
The incident has raised questions as to
whether race was a factor in the shooting, as several officer-involved
shootings in recent months have brought police use of force into the national
spotlight. In Missouri, the Ferguson community is bracing for a decision on
whether to indict the white police officer who shot African-American teen
Michael Brown on Aug. 8.
Saturday's shooting prompted calls for
Cleveland police to begin wearing body cameras. Unlike the Ferguson shooting,
however, surveillance cameras captured Saturday's incident. The video has not
yet been released.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Alice Reece of
Cincinnati announced legislation to require all BB guns, air rifles and Airsoft
guns sold in the state to be brightly colored or marked with florescent strips
to avoid confusion.
Two officers have been placed on
administrative leave while the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office investigates
the shooting. The evidence will eventually be handed to a grand jury.
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