“When we are strong enough together to turn frustration into progress we take another step up the higher path,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich said. | Getty John Kasich calls for calm after grand jury declines to indict officers in Tamir Rice case

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is calling for calm in his state after a grand jury voted not to return an indictment for the officer who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

“Tamir Rice’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy and I understand how this decision will leave many people asking themselves if justice was served. We all lose, however, if we give in to anger and frustration and let it divide us,” the Ohio governor and 2016 Republican candidate said in a statement Monday. “We have made progress to improve the way communities and police work together in our state, and we’re beginning to see a path to positive change so everyone shares in the safety and success they deserve.


“When we are strong enough together to turn frustration into progress we take another step up the higher path,” Kasich continued.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty, who announced the decision, told reporters it was "perfect storm of human error” — not murder.

“Based on the evidence they heard, and the law as it applies to police use of deadly force, the grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Cleveland police officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback,” McGinty said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Rice was killed in a public park after playing with a toy gun last year. The grand jury had been listening to testimony since October.

On Monday, an attorney for Rice's family sent out a statement accusing McGinty of sabotaging the indictment.

"It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty was abusing and manipulating the grand-jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment," the attorney said. "Even though video shows the police shooting Tamir in less than one second, Prosecutor McGinty hired so-called expert witnesses to try to exonerate the officers and tell the grand jury their conduct was reasonable and justified."

"The way Prosecutor McGinty has mishandled the grand-jury process has compounded the grief of this family," the statement continued. "The Rice family is grateful for all the community support they have received and urges people who want to express their disappointment with how Prosecutor McGinty has handled this process to do so peacefully and democratically."

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement Monday that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will continue their independent review of the case.

They will “assess all available materials and determine what actions are appropriate, given the strict burdens and requirements imposed by applicable federal civil rights laws,” the statement read. “Additionally, the Department of Justice continues in its efforts to pursue ongoing and comprehensive reform.”