The former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 has been dismissed from his latest law enforcement position, marking the fourth known time he has left a department amid public backlash in just seven years.
A Pattern of Departures
Timothy Loehmann was fired on Friday from his role as a ranger for the Snowshoe Resort Community District (SRCD) in West Virginia. The district's board confirmed the termination in a statement released after an emergency meeting.
This latest dismissal continues a consistent pattern for Loehmann since the 2014 shooting that sparked national outrage. In 2018, he secured a part-time police role in south-east Ohio but withdrew his application within days after criticism from Tamir Rice's mother and others.
He was later sworn in as the sole police officer in Tioga, Pennsylvania, in 2022, but again left the position following a public outcry over his hiring. Last year, he resigned from a probationary officer post in White Sulphur Springs City, West Virginia, a move that also led to the police chief who hired him stepping down.
The 2014 Shooting and Its Aftermath
The chain of events began on 22 November 2014, when Tamir Rice, a Black 12-year-old, was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation centre in Cleveland. Timothy Loehmann and his partner, both white officers, responded to the scene.
According to the officers' statements to investigators, Loehmann shouted three times for Rice to raise his hands. Seconds after their arrival, Loehmann shot and killed the child. The incident ignited widespread protests and a fierce national debate about police treatment of Black communities and systemic racism.
The city of Cleveland later settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Rice's family for $6 million. The police department fired Loehmann, not for the shooting itself, but for having lied on his job application when he joined the force.
Ongoing Controversy and Condemnation
The failure of a grand jury to indict Loehmann or his partner added fuel to the protests, which included demonstrators blocking Cleveland's Public Square on 25 November 2014. The case remains a potent symbol in the movement for police accountability.
Subodh Chandra, a Cleveland-based attorney for the Rice family, responded to the latest firing with sharp criticism. "Loehmann’s determination to inflict himself on other people seems pathological," Chandra said. "So does the craven poor judgment required by any public officials who hire him."
Loehmann's repeated ability to find employment in small police departments, despite his notoriety, raises significant questions about hiring practices and background checks in some US law enforcement agencies.
