Prosecutors defend urging no charges in Tamir Rice shooting

CLEVELAND (AP) — Prosecutors who recommended bringing no charges against two officers in the shooting of Tamir Rice said they were required to reveal to a grand jury they didn't think a conviction was possible.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty defended his decisions amid criticism from the boy's family and community members.

"We knew that ethically there couldn't be a trial in this case," McGinty told cleveland.com.

McGinty said the Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's manual says a prosecutor must tell a grand jury when substantial evidence refutes the guilt of the target in the investigation.

Prosecutors decided they couldn't get a conviction after seeing enhanced surveillance footage of the shooting, he said.

It showed the 12-year-old black boy was drawing what turned out to be a pellet gun from his waistband when he was shot, McGinty said.

A grand jury announced on Monday that no criminal charges would be brought against the white patrolman who shot Tamir in November 2014.