Probe of police shooting of boy nears completion in Cleveland

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

The investigation into a police officer’s shooting of a 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun in November is nearly complete, a sheriff said Tuesday.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Clifford Pinkney said investigators still have a few more witnesses to interview about the shooting of Tamir Rice outside a Cleveland recreation center. The completed investigation will be turned over to the county prosecutor, he said.

The sheriff’s department took over the investigation from the city in January. Investigators have examined thousands of documents and have conducted “numerous” search warrants and witness interviews, Pinkney said.

The fatal shooting on Nov. 22 drew national attention when the city released footage from a surveillance camera that showed rookie patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who is white, shooting Tamir within two seconds of a police cruiser stopping near the boy.

Walter Madison, an attorney for Tamir’s family, said Tuesday that he can’t understand why the investigation has taken so long.