CLEVELAND – The family of a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a pellet gun when he was shot by an Ohio police officer has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.
The federal lawsuit filed Friday against the city of Cleveland and two officers says the police acted recklessly when they confronted Tamir Rice outside a recreation centre.
READ MORE: Cleveland police use force too often, poorly trained, says Justice Department
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.
WATCH: A 12-year-old black boy was shot by a police officer on a playground in Cleveland, Ohio. He was carrying a toy gun, which witnesses say he was waving around. As Mike Armstrong reports, police responded with lethal force.
Comments