Family of boy shot by Cleveland officer files suit

Author: Associated Press
Published:
Rice Family Photo / MGN

CLEVELAND (AP) – The family of a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a pellet gun when he was shot by a Cleveland police officer has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.

The federal lawsuit filed Friday against the city and two officers says the police acted recklessly when they confronted Tamir Rice outside a recreation center.

Surveillance video released by police shows Tamir being shot within 2 seconds of a patrol car stopping near him at a park on Nov. 22. It shows the boy reaching in his waistband for what police later discovered was an airsoft gun, which shoots nonlethal plastic projectiles.

Tamir died the next day.

Police have said rookie officer Tim Loehmann believed the boy had a real firearm.

The shooting has sparked several protests across the city.

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