Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the family of Tamir Rice, a 12 year-old black boy, who was shot and killed in November by a white police officer in Cleveland, days after reports conducted by outside experts were released suggesting the officer’s use of force was justified.
Sending support to Tamir Rice’s loved ones. Too many black families are mourning the loss of a child. We need to change that reality. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 12, 2015
The reports, released Saturday night, showed outside reviews commissioned by the prosecutor’s office as information is gathered to submit to a grand jury, which will determine whether to charge the police officer, Timothy Loehmann.
The outside experts were provided with footage of the shooting. The officers had been told by the dispatcher that he was armed, but not Rice’s age nor that the gun could be a fake. Rice was holding a pellet gun.
The reports were criticized by the Rice family’s attorney who said the reviews showed that the prosecutor’s office was avoiding accountability.