Department Of Justice Gives Up On Tamir Rice Killing Investigation

BYKarlton Jahmal4.9K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A man speaks out against the shooting of 12 year-old Tamir Rice by police near the site of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in downtown Cleveland on the second day of the convention on July 19, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Many people have stayed away from downtown due to road closures and the fear of violence. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18.
Where is the justice?

12-year-old Tamir Rice was murdered by police in 2014. Rice was infamously holding a toy gun, which was misidentified by white police officer Timothy Loehmann. According to The New York Timesthe Justice Department has quietly ended the investigation on Rice's murder. The report claims that, "Career prosecutors had asked in 2017 to use a grand jury to gather evidence in their investigation, setting off tensions inside the department. In an unusual move, department supervisors let the request languish for two years before finally denying permission in August 2019, essentially ending the inquiry without fully conducting it."

The department has yet to officially close the case, which usually would include a draft memo to explain why no one was charged. Instead, it's almost as if they are secretly letting the file go dead without a full explanation. Former federal prosecutor Subodh Chandra, who represents the Rice family, stated, “When Samaria Rice heard the news, she cried out repeatedly, ‘I’m not ready for this!’” Samaria is Tamir's mother. “The federal investigation was her last hope for justice. Accountability was so important to her and her family.”

The Justice Department’s press office declined to comment to The Times and Henry Hilow, the attorney who represented the two officers involved in the case, also did not comment. 

 


About The Author
...