The federal lawsuit targets the City of Cleveland and the two policemen called in to investigate a 911 call of a person brandishing a handgun, that the caller said was “probably fake”.
That juvenile was Tamir Rice, and surveillance video shows a patrol car eventually pulling up near him outside a recreation center. Police say two seconds later, an officer shot him in the abdomen after Rice reached into his waistband. The boy died the following day.
The suit says the officers acted recklessly when they confronted Rice. Police have said rookie officer Tim Loehmann [LOW-mun] believed Rice had a real firearm.
The incident has sparked several protests across the city, with demonstrators likening the shooting to racially charged cases in Ferguson, Missouri and New York.
The lawsuit follows Attorney General Eric Holder’s visit to Cleveland yesterday, where he and city officials released findings of excessive use of force by city police, though Rice’s death was not part of the investigation.
Calls to the attorney representing Rice’s family were not returned.