Charges Announced In Tamir Rice Shooting

CLEVELAND, OH — The city has decided to level administrative complaints against the three police officers involved in the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Rice, will not be charged for the shooting.

Loehmann will be punished for falsifying his application to become a Cleveland police officer. He did not reveal why he left the Independence Police Department, namely that he had been found emotionally unfit to serve. His pre-disciplinary hearing is set for Jan. 30.

The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association sent out a press release saying it is "encouraged" that Loehmann was not charged for his shooting of Rice. The CPPA said, "Officer Loehmann was not wrong in reacting the way he did." Despite not being charged for the shooting, the CPPA said it believed the charges brought against Loehmann for lying on his application were "created to discipline him, and perhaps discharge him, despite the fact that he did nothing wrong that day."

Loehmann's partner, Officer Frank Garmback, was charged for making two tactical errors preceding the shooting. First, the city says that Garmback drove too close to a potential suspect. Second, he failed to report his and Loehmann's arrival to the dispatcher.

His hearing is also scheduled for Jan. 30.

The CPPA was also skeptical of those charges, writing that "it is apparent that the car slid in the ice and mud well beyond what he intended." It added that "Given the speed and gravity of the events on that day, it is hard to imagine that Officer Garmback has been charged with failure to notify the radio dispatcher 'immediately.'"

Finally, a third officer, William Cunningham, has been charged with working an off-duty security job nearby without permission and lying to investigators at the scene of the shooting. The CPPA did not issue a statement in defense of Cunningham.

All three men face disciplinary charges that could include dismissal. The CPPA said it will work to prepare their defense.

Cleveland.com reports that Tamir's mother, Samaria, characterized the results of the city's investigation as "disappointing and disheartening."

You can watch video of part of the city's press conference announcing the charges below:

A screenshot of surveillance video showing the police shooting of Rice on Nov. 22.