Officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves new job in West Virginia

A erstwhile Cleveland serviceman who fatally changeable 12-year-old Tamir Rice successful 2014 has resigned from a constabulary unit successful West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The erstwhile Cleveland serviceman who fatally changeable 12-year-old Tamir Rice successful 2014 has resigned from a constabulary unit successful West Virginia, the 3rd clip successful six years helium near a tiny section amid backlash soon aft helium had been hired.

White Sulphur Springs City officials said Timothy Loehmann resigned Monday day arsenic a probationary officer.

In a connection issued to WVVA-TV , Mayor Kathy Glover said Loehmann had been hired astatine the proposal of White Sulphur Springs Police Chief D.S. Teubert.

“Since this is an employment matter, I volition person nary further comment,” Glover said.

It wasn’t instantly wide however agelong Loehmann had been connected the force. A telephone to Teubert’s bureau went unanswered. The Associated Press near telephone messages Tuesday for Glover and for Subodh Chandra, a Cleveland- based lawyer for Rice’s family. A telephone fig for Loehmann could not beryllium located and an lawyer who formerly represented him wasn't instantly disposable to comment.

After the hiring successful West Virginia, Chandra told Cleveland presumption WEWS-TV past week that Loehmann “should ne'er beryllium entrusted with a badge and gun.”

White Sulphur Springs is location to the posh Greenbrier resort, owned by Republican Gov. Jim Justice successful southeastern West Virginia on the Virginia border.

Rice, who was Black, was playing with a pellet weapon extracurricular a recreation halfway successful Cleveland connected Nov. 22, 2014, erstwhile helium was changeable and killed by Loehmann seconds aft Loehmann and his spouse arrived. The officers, who are white, told investigators Loehmann had shouted 3 times astatine Tamir to rise his hands.

The shooting sparked assemblage protests astir constabulary attraction of Black people, particularly aft a expansive assemblage decided not to indict Loehmann oregon his partner.

Cleveland settled a suit implicit Tamir’s decease for $6 million, and the metropolis yet fired Loehmann for having lied connected his exertion to go a constabulary officer.

Loehmann aboriginal landed a part-time presumption with a constabulary section successful the southeast Ohio colony of Bellaire successful October 2018 but withdrew his exertion days aboriginal aft Tamir’s mother, Samaria, and others criticized the hiring.

In July 2022, helium was sworn successful arsenic the lone constabulary serviceman successful Tioga — a assemblage of astir 600 successful agrarian north-central Pennsylvania, astir 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Cleveland — but near without having worked a azygous displacement amid backlash and media sum implicit his hiring.