The release of the report comes days after a Cleveland judge issued a statement of probable cause to file criminal charges against the police officers over the 12-year-old’s death.
Tony Dejak / AP
At least six officers, including some with more than decade of experience, who first responded to the shooting death of Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio, last November initially thought the 12-year-old was much older and that his toy gun was real, according to a Sheriff's investigative report released Saturday by prosecutors.
Rice was shot by a Cleveland police officer in a public park while playing with a toy gun on Nov. 22, 2014. The friend who lent him the toy had warned Rice the weapon "looked real," investigators found.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began investigating the boy's death in January at the request of the Cleveland Division of Police.
"This investigation was conducted with the purpose of determining, to the extent possible, the circumstances surrounding this use of deadly force incident," the report reads. "As unbiased collectors of fact, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's investigative team has not, and will not, render any opinion on the legality of the officers' actions. Instead, it is anticipated that this investigation will provide the basis of information for decisions to be rendered by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office and/or the Department of Justice."
The department delivered its report on June 3 to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, which said it was releasing the report in the interests of transparency.
"Transparency (i.e., the actual facts) is essential for an intelligent discussion of the important issues raised by this case," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said in a statement. "If we wait years for all litigation to be completed before the citizens are allowed to know what actually happened, we will have squandered our best opportunity to institute needed changes in use of force policy, police training and leadership."
Surveillance video released by police shows officers arriving at Cudell Park, where Rice had been playing.
Mark Duncan / AP
A special agent who arrived on scene shortly after the shooting and began providing Rice with medical attention said the boy was "big" and estimated he was around 18.
"I actually overheard [Rice's sister] say at one point, like, 'He's 12,'" the agent told investigators. "I remember thinking to myself, I'm like, 'There's no way.' And I looked at his face, I'm like, 'Yeah.' He's got a young looking face, but I mean, I -- if you never told me that, I'd have never thought that based on his size."
The original 911 caller had warned of a black male pointing a weapon at people, but had said the man "could be a juvenile" and that the weapon was "probably fake."
Staff and kids at the park's recreation center said the 12-year-old was there almost every day with his sister. He'd play games, but he wasn't very good at sports. Other boys would sometimes pick on him.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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