CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A prominent Case Western Reserve University law professor believes there is a strong possibility a grand jury will indict the Cleveland police officer who fatally shot Tamir Rice.

Lewis R. Katz, a longtime faculty member whose books and articles have been cited in more than 400 court cases and legal articles, believes video of the officer fatally shooting Tamir outside the Cudell Recreation Center raises serious questions about the officer's actions.

"You just don't drive up and shoot someone," he said. "That can't be the way they're trained."

Cleveland police officer Tim Loehmann shot Tamir Nov. 22 after he and his partner, Frank Garmback, arrived at Cudell Recreation Center for a report of someone waving a gun.

Katz believes the grand jury could indict even though legal experts from across the country say it is exceedingly rare for a police officer involved in a shooting death to be indicted.

Within the past month grand juries failed to indict the officers involved in the shooting death of Michael Brown by a suburban St. Louis officer and the death of Eric Garner, who was placed in a choke hold by a Staten Island officer.

The way Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty presents the case will be key to whether the grand jury indicts, because that could have a large influence on a grand jury's decision, Katz said.

"[Prosecutors] present the case the way they want to present the case to the grand jury," Katz said. "I think that's going to be a very significant issue in this case."

What sets the Tamir Rice case apart is the video of the shooting, Katz said. He questioned why the officers stopped their police cruiser just feet from where Tamir was standing, and why Loehmann shot Rice immediately after exiting the cruiser.

"I was stunned to see the police car drive up and the officer shoot [Tamir]," Katz said. "That, to me, is not what we would expect police to do under those circumstances."

Police procedure experts contacted by the Northeast Ohio Media Group earlier this month questioned the officers' tactics, saying they should have maintained a greater distance from Tamir.

The grand jury will need to determine whether those actions were appropriate, given the circumstances, Katz said.

He also questioned why Tamir wasn't given first aid until an FBI agent on duty in the area arrived at the scene four minutes after the shooting.

The shooting was an example of the issues outlined in the U.S. Justice Department's blistering report on the use of force by Cleveland police, Katz said.

"Let's face it: Cleveland has a problem, and it's a very serious problem, because the police are supposed to protect the community," he said. "How they go about protecting the community is a substantial issue and seems to be a real problem."