A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury declined Monday to bring criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice.
The 12 year old was seen playing with a realistic-looking toy gun outside Cudell Recreation Center in November 2014. Officer Frank Garmback pulled up within a few feet of Rice and Officer Timothy Loehmann shot him within seconds of exiting his police car.
At a press conference this afternoon, prosecutor Timothy McGinty said it was his recommendation not to indict , “The law gives the benefit of the doubt to the officers who must make split second decisions when they reasonably believe their lives or those of innocent bystanders are in danger. Based on these rules, it became clear through this investigation that the actions of Officers Loehmann and Garmback were not criminal.”
In a written statement, the Rice family says it is “saddened and disappointed by this outcome – but not surprised.”
The family statement criticized McGinty’s handling of the case. Earlier, they called for the county prosecutor to step down and asked the U-S Justice Department to conduct its own investigation.
The local office of U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach says they will continue an independent review of the Tamir Rice investigation, which is ongoing.
Rice family attorney Subodh Chandra released the following comments from a written statement, “ Tamir's family is a saddened and disappointed by this outcome-- but not surprised,"
Chandra also expressed disappointment at the way McGinty handled the grand jury process.
"The way Prosecutor McGinty has mishandled the grand-jury process has compounded the grief of this family...This special treatment would never be given to non-police suspects."
The family currently is involved in a civil suit against the City of Cleveland and the Division of Police.