Town Hires Ex-Cleveland Officer Who Shot, Killed Tamir Rice: Report

TIOGA, PA — A small town in northern Pennsylvania reportedly hired the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November 2014.

Timothy Loehmann was hired as the sole police officer for Tioga, a small Pennsylvania borough with a population of about 700 people, News 5 in Cleveland reported, citing Tioga Mayor David Wilcox. The borough council hired Loehmann on a 90-day probationary period, and according to the mayor, intended to promote him to chief if the period was successful.

However, Loehmann has yet to work a day for the city, and Wilcox told News 5 he won't until the officials can review the officer's past.

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Tamir, who was Black, was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center in Cleveland when he was shot and killed by Loehmann, who is white. The shooting happened seconds after Loehmann and his partner, Officer Frank Garmback, arrived at the scene.

Officers were called to the recreation center after a man drinking beer and waiting for a bus had called 911 to report that a "guy" was pointing a gun at people. The caller told a 911 dispatcher that it was probably a juvenile and the gun might be "fake," though the information was never relayed to officers.

A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann. The Justice Department also declined to bring federal charges.

Loehmann's hiring spurred dozens of Tioga residents to protest. Wilcox told News 5 he was unaware of Loehmann's background since hiring is done by the borough council. He also told the station that despite attending Loehmann's interview, Tamir's death never came up.

Loehmann was fired from the Cleveland Police Department in 2017. Loehmann was briefly hired as a part-time officer in Bellaire, Ohio, but he eventually withdrew his application.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.