Reports find reasonable force used in Tamir Rice death

WKYC-TV, Cleveland | WKYC

Show Caption Hide Caption Reports find reasonable force used in Tamir Rice death Two outside reviews conducted for the prosecutor in the Tamir Rice case find the Cleveland police officer justified in shooting the 12-year-old boy.

CLEVELAND — A white police officer was justified in fatally shooting Tamir Rice, a black 12-year-old boy who was holding a pellet gun, according to two outside reviews conducted at the request of the prosecutor investigating the death.

A retired FBI agent and a Denver prosecutor both found Timothy Loehmann, the rookie patrolman who shot Tamir, exercised a reasonable use of force because he had reason to perceive him as a serious threat. The boy was described in a 911 call as a man waving and pointing a gun.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office released expert reports Saturday into the November 2014 shooting.

Among the three documents released is the Ohio State Highway Patrol's recreation of the scene where he was shot at Cudell Rec Center in Cleveland.

READ: Ohio Highway Patrol Report

Two other reports, by Denver Chief Deputy District Attorney Lamar Sims and retired FBI special agent Kimberly Crawford, were commissioned as analysis about proper use of deadly force by police.

READ: Sims Report on Use of Deadly Force

READ: Crawford Report on Use of Deadly Force

The prosecutor's office is quick to point out the need for transparency in cases of police-involved violence. They also acknowledge the lack of public-facing information in past police-involved violence cases.

However, the Rice family believes the prosecutor's office has not practiced what they preach.

In a statement Saturday night, they said:

"The Rice family and Clevelanders have always said that they want the officers who rushed upon and killed 12-year-old Tamir held accountable. The family now believes that the prosecutor's office has been on an 11-month quest to avoid providing that accountability. Any presentation to a grand jury — without the prosecutor advocating for Tamir — is a charade. To get so-called experts to assist in the whitewash — when the world has the video of what happened — is all the more alarming.

These supposed "experts" — all pro-police — dodge the simple fact that the officers rushed Tamir and shot him immediately without assessing the situation in the least. Reasonable jurors could find that conduct unreasonable. But they will never get the chance because the prosecutor is working diligently to ensure that there is no indictment and no accountability.

"Who will speak for Tamir before the grand jury? Not the prosecutor, apparently."

In a release Saturday night, the prosecutor's office also sends a message to the police union, saying it operates under a double standard.

"It rightly asks the general public to have the courage to cooperate with police in serious criminal investigations, yet when the conduct of officers is being investigated, refuses to help," said the prosecutor's office.

MORE: Statement from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty

Evidence gathering continues in the prosecutor's investigation and no conclusion has been drawn from these new reports.

The prosecutor's office says a grand jury will decide if the officer should face criminal charges.

Contributing: Associated Press