In a settlement, the City of Cleveland will pay the family of Tamir Rice $6 million. The 12-year-old black boy was fatally gunned down by police who mistook his pellet gun for a real gun back in 2014.
Reports the New York Times:
The settlement, which would be the latest in a series of seven-figure payouts by major American cities to the families of African-Americans who died at the hands of officers, spares Cleveland the possibility of a federal civil rights trial that could have brought new attention to Tamir’s death and to the city’s troubled police force. It also allows the city to avoid the possibility of an even larger judgment.
The agreement must still be approved by a probate court. Under the terms of the settlement, Cleveland does not admit wrongdoing.
As for justice being served, last year a grand jury chose not to indict Timothy Loehmann, the officer who shot Rice. Reportedly, they never even bothered to vote on the matter.
The $6M is surely not enough and won’t bring Tamir back. But it’s a start.
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Photo: family handout
