The police killing of Tamir Rice in Cleveland on Saturday has resulted in headlines around the world, scrutiny from an attorney for the boy’s family, the ire of politicians and the wrath of Internet “hacktivists,” says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A first-year officer, who officials have not named, got out of his car and told the 12-year-old boy to raise his hands. Instead, police said he reached for what proved to be an airsoft-type gun, a replica of a semi-automatic handgun that shoots pellets.
The officer fired two shots from less than 10 feet away. A least one of the bullets hit Tamir in the stomach. Questions about the shooting arose when police said that a 911 caller told dispatchers “the gun was probably fake.” An investigation into the shooting by the police department’s Use of Deadly Force Investigation Team could take up to three months.