City of Cleveland’s response to Tamir Rice lawsuit “softens”

By Scotty Reid

The City of Cleveland has amended its response to the federal lawsuit filed by the family of Tamir Rice, the 12 yr old victim of a fatal police shooting caught on film. In its first response to the lawsuit the city blamed Tamir Rice for his own death. The 12 yr old was caught on security cameras in a park outside a recreation center playing with an airsoft pellet gun by himself.

The cameras also caught the police response which showed Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann jumping from the passenger’s side of the police vehicle he was riding in, the patrol car had not come to a full stop as Loemann is seen leaping from it and shot Tamir Rice in less than 2 seconds of confronting the child.

In the response filed Friday, the city stated it could not respond to the lawsuit until the investigation by a neighboring law enforcement agency is completed. Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson profusely apologized in the media for the language contained in the first response from the city.