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Tamir Rice case: Police will not face charges over killing | |
(about 14 hours later) | |
A US grand jury has decided not to bring charges against a white policeman over the killing of a 12-year-old black boy armed with a toy gun. | A US grand jury has decided not to bring charges against a white policeman over the killing of a 12-year-old black boy armed with a toy gun. |
A local prosecutor in Ohio state, Tim McGinty, called the events that led to the death of Tamir Rice a "perfect storm of human error". | A local prosecutor in Ohio state, Tim McGinty, called the events that led to the death of Tamir Rice a "perfect storm of human error". |
But he said it was not unreasonable for the officer to fear for his life. | But he said it was not unreasonable for the officer to fear for his life. |
Peaceful protests were held in Cleveland and in New York after the decision was announced. | |
It comes at a time when the deaths of black men at the hands of police have sparked a national debate. | |
Rice was carrying a non-lethal pellet gun when police approached him in Cleveland in November 2014, in response to a 911 call reporting a man waving and pointing a gun at people. | Rice was carrying a non-lethal pellet gun when police approached him in Cleveland in November 2014, in response to a 911 call reporting a man waving and pointing a gun at people. |
The officer who shot him did so within two seconds of arriving at the scene, according to surveillance video. | |
The caller said the gun might not be real and the perpetrator could be a juvenile. | The caller said the gun might not be real and the perpetrator could be a juvenile. |
Mr McGinty, who announced the grand jury's decision on Monday, blamed the emergency services dispatcher for not relaying that information to police. | |
Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback have said the gun looked real and urged Rice to raise his hands three times. | Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback have said the gun looked real and urged Rice to raise his hands three times. |
Mr Loehmann shot Rice twice after the boy pulled the gun from his waistband. | Mr Loehmann shot Rice twice after the boy pulled the gun from his waistband. |
The officers said they believed Rice was older than 12. He weighed about 175lbs (79kg) and stood 5ft 7in (1.70m) tall. | |
The toy gun lacked an orange safety tip and Mr McGinty urged toy manufacturers to stop making replicas that look like real guns. | The toy gun lacked an orange safety tip and Mr McGinty urged toy manufacturers to stop making replicas that look like real guns. |
The Rice family have said police fired too quickly and should have used a Taser, a non-lethal weapon. | The Rice family have said police fired too quickly and should have used a Taser, a non-lethal weapon. |
Camera footage shows Mr Loehmann firing seconds after getting out of his police vehicle that rolled to a stop just feet away from Rice. | |
Although the officers' actions were not criminal, Mr McGinty said Cleveland had learnt from the shooting. | |
"It should never happen again, and the city has taken steps so it doesn't," Mr McGinty said. |