But, not for shooting him.
The police officer who was involved in the fatal 2014 shooting of Tamir Rice has recently been fired for, the Cleveland Police Department.
Officer Timothy Loehmann’s termination is effective immediately, according to a press conference on Tuesday [May 30, 2017]. However, his firing does not come as a result of his killing of the 12-year old Rice, but because of misinformation on his application for employment with the department.
A disciplinary letter against Loehmann cites his failure to disclose that a suburban department allowed him to resign instead of being fired following a six month probation.
Officer Frank Garmback, who was driving the patrol car at the time of the shooting, has also been placed on a 10-day suspension for alleged misconduct unrelated to the death of Tamir Rice.
According to Police Chief Calvin Williams, Officer Garmback will also be required to complete tactical training upon his return.
Garmback violated a tactical rule for his driving the day Tamir Rice died after skidding to a stop near him.
“I’m relieved that Loehmann was fired, as he should be,” said Samaria Rice, Tamir’s mother. “He should never have been a police officer anyway. Garmback should be fired also for pulling up so close to Tamir, to create the murder of Tamir. Now we all must get involved to create a safer community.”
“We still need accountability,” she further stated. “…He should have never been an officer in the first place and shame on the city of Cleveland for taking so long to handle this situation,” she said.
