Timothy Loehmann

Timothy Loehmann was a Cleveland police officer who shot unarmed 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Rice was holding a toy gun.

Prior to joining the Cleveland Division of Police, Loehmann worked for the Independence Police Department. According to media reports, he had career troubles beginning in 2012 when he had an on-again off-again relationship with a girlfriend.

A released November 29, 2012 letter from his personnel file at the Independence Police Department describe Loehmann during a firearms qualification, saying: "He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal... I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct the deficiencies... Unfortunately in law enforcement there are times when instructions need to be followed to the letter and I am under the impression that Ptl. Loehmann, under certain circumstances, will not react in the way instructed." The letter recommended letting Loehmann go from his job at the police. Loehmann resigned from the Independence Police on December 4, 2012 after six months on the job. He was hired in March 2014 by the Cleveland police.

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Tamir Rice
• Black Lives Matter
• Police Brutality

External resources

• "Tamir Rice's mother, grandmother, reflect on boy's life, death (videos)," Cleveland.com.

External articles

2015:

• "New Tamir Rice video shows cop tackle his 14-year-old sister as she rushed to dying brother’s aid," The Grio, January 8, 2015.
• Charles M. Blow, "Tamir Rice and the Value of Life," New York Times, January 11, 2015.
• Jonathan Capehart, "Video shows that Tamir Rice’s sister needed compassion, not cuffs," Washington Post, January 13, 2015.
• Scott Kaufman, "City of Cleveland: 12-year-old Tamir Rice caused his own death by failing to ‘avoid injury’," Raw Story, March 1, 2015.
• Elliot Hannon, "Tamir Rice’s Mother Moves Into a Shelter as Family Struggles With No Charges or Burial," Slate, May 4, 2015.
• Feminista Jones, "Samaria Rice on Loving and Losing Her Son, Tamir," Ebony, June 2, 2015.
• Mark Gillispie, "Judge: Enough Evidence to Charge Police in Black Boy's Death," MSN, June 12, 2015.
• Daniel Politi, "No One Heard Cleveland Officer Warn 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Before Opening Fire," Slate, June 13, 2015.
• Monica Simpson, "Considering Motherhood and Murdered Black Children," Ebony, August 18, 2015.
• "Police dispatcher in Tamir Rice case resigns," USA Today, September 21, 2015.
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, "The Legal Murder Of Tamir Rice," The Atlantic, October 11, 2015.
• Jaeah Lee, "Anger is Boiling Over the Outcome of New Probes Into the Police Shooting of a 12-year-old. Here Are 6 Takeaways," Mother Jones, October 11, 2015.
• Eric Heisig, "Cleveland police officers say they were not indifferent to Tamir Rice's gunshot wounds," Cleveland.com, November 13, 2015.
• Shantell E. Jamison, "One Year Later: Justice for Tamir Rice," Jet, November 18, 2015.
• "Hundreds attend vigil 1 year after death of Tamir Rice, 12, shot by police," The Grio, November 23, 2015.
• Shantell E. Jamison, "Lawyers Present New Reports in Rice Case," Jet, November 20, 2015.
• Mark Gillispie, "White officer won’t face charges in killing of Tamir Rice," The Grio, December 28, 2015.
• Kirsten West Savali, "Tamir Rice Found Guilty of Being Young, Free and Black," The Root, December 28, 2015.
• Breanna Edwards, "No Criminal Charges for Cleveland Officer Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice," The Root, December 28, 2015.
• "Tamir Rice: Family Releases Statement," Associated Press, December 28, 2015.
• Daniel Marans, "How A Prosecutor Managed To Blame A 12-Year-Old For Getting Killed By A Cop," Huffington Post, December 28, 2015.
• Zeba Blay, "27 Things Every Black Person Must Learn Before Age 12," Huffington Post, December 28, 2015.
• Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, "Exclusive: Open Letter to Tamir Rice," Ebony, December 29, 2015.
• "Prosecutors: Mistakes in Tamir Rice Death," Jet, December 29, 2015.

2014:

• "Tamir Rice: police release video of 12-year-old's fatal shooting – video," The Guardian, November 26, 2014.
• "Officer who killed Tamir Rice had no choice, cop’s dad says," The Grio, December 2, 2014.
• "Cleveland officer who shot Tamir Rice had 'dismal' handgun performance for Independence police," Cleveland.com, December 3, 2014.
• "Medical examiner rules Tamir Rice death ‘homicide’," The Grio, December 12, 2014.