Officers disciplined for not vetting rookie who shot 12-year-old

Associated

CLEVELAND

Two Cleveland police officers have been disciplined for failing to thoroughly check the background of a white rookie patrolman who fatally shot a 12-year-old black boy holding a pellet gun.

Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that one officer received a two-day suspension and the other a written reprimand.

The officers were accused of failing to check Timothy Loehmann’s personnel file at a suburban department before his hiring in Cleveland last year. An evaluation in the file said Loehmann had dismal handgun performance and was emotionally immature.

Loehmann has been on limited duty since shooting Tamir Rice in November within two seconds of a cruiser skidding to a stop near the boy. Prosecutors say a grand jury will determine if criminal charges should be filed against Loehmann.