Cleveland Police Look to Hand Tamir Rice Investigation to Outside Agency

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Friday, January 02, 2015

Tamir Rice, 12, was laid to rest on Wednesday. | (Photo: Reuters)

Cleveland, Ohio, police are seeking to relinquish the investigation into the death of Tamir Rice to an outside agency in order to prevent claims of discrimination or favoritism.

Police officer Timothy Loehmann shot 12-year-old Rice on Nov. 22, setting off a frenzy of protests and accusations of police brutality. Ever since, the Cleveland Division of Police's use of deadly force investigation team has been collecting evidence and testimony in the case but are seeking to possibly hand the case over to Cuyahoga County officials in order to avoid any claims of favoritism and to provide a neutral investigation into the case.

"Not only this investigation, but we would like a different, outside agency to handle all deadly use of force cases," city spokesman Dan Ball told Cleveland.com. "But nothing's set in stone. We want this just as much as anybody."

Rice was shot and killed by Loehmann, a rookie officer who had been previously deemed unfit for duty by another precinct. However, Cleveland police hired him without checking his portfolio, leading to calls of a serious investigation into the shooting. The U.S. Department of Justice previously slammed the city for how the Cleveland department trains its officers to use deadly force, which is another reason officials want an outside agency to investigate.

Even Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said he "lost confidence" in the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate shootings.

"The best way to do it [conduct investigations] is to have external eyes look at anything regarding the use of force of cases," Jackson told reporters on Dec. 11.

Meanwhile, the city of Cleveland is hoping to delay its response to a lawsuit being brought by Rice's family. The lawsuit states that the city, officers Loehmann and Frank Garmback "acted unreasonably, recklessly, and with deliberate indifference to the safety and rights" of Rice, when they "confronted him in a surprise fashion and fired multiple shots at him without any adequate investigation."

Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. has yet to issue a ruling on the city's request.