Officer Who Shot Tamir Rice Had Been Judged ‘Unfit’ for Service in 2012
Tim Loehmann, the Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, had been judged back in 2012 to be unfit for service while he worked for the Independence Police Department.
Newly obtained records show that the department’s deputy chief wrote some very critical things about Loehmann two years ago. For example, he said Loehmann was “distracted” and “weepy” during firearms qualification training, and that “I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct the deficiencies.”
Loehmann even said, “He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal.”
He recommended the department part ways with Loehmann. Loehmann left and, of course, ended up joining the Cleveland police. It’s unclear how much information from Independence was made aware to his superiors in Cleveland.
[h/t The Guardian]
[image via screengrab]
— —
Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓