Cop Who Killed Tamir Rice Was Previously Kicked off Force for ‘Dismal’ Gun Performance, Emotional Instability

Timothy Loehmann,
the Cleveland police officer
who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice within two seconds
of encountering the boy, was deemed “unfit for duty” while serving
on another police force. Supervisors specifically cited his
“dismal” handgun performance and emotional instability when they
forced him to resign in December 2012.

Loehmann was previously employed by the City of Independence.
During a training exercise at a gun range, he became “distracted
and weepy,” according to information obtained by
The Guardian:

Officer Timothy Loehmann, who killed Tamir Rice on 22 November,
was specifically faulted for breaking down emotionally while
handling a live gun. During a training episode at a firing range,
Loehmann was reported to be “distracted and weepy” and
incommunicative. “His handgun performance was dismal,” deputy chief
Jim Polak of the Independence, Ohio, police
department wrote in an internal memo.

The memo concludes with a recommendation that Loehmann be
“released from the employment of the City of Independence”. Less
than a week later, on 3 December 2012, Loehmann resigned.

Loehmann was hired by Cleveland PD in March of this year. It
isn’t clear whether the department knew about his previous
struggles. If it didn’t, then apparently his background check was
neglected. If it did—and hired him anyway—that’s even more
damning.

Rice was killed while playing with a fake gun at the park. The
toy’s orange cap had been removed, rendering it impossible to
distinguish from a real gun. Even so, the 911 caller who alerted
the authorities told them that the boy he spied playing with a
weapon was probably carrying a fake. It’s not clear whether
Loehmann was given that information; the police union has said that
he wasn’t.

Regardless,
video surveillance shows Loehmann drive up to Rice and kill him
within two seconds.

The shooting is an outrage, even if Loehmann had an impeccable
record. But this latest news does make it worse, and shows that the
department deserves some blame.