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Cleveland city officials have been in talks to hand their
investigation into the Nov. 22 shooting of Tamir Rice over to
the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, the Northeast Ohio
Media Group reported on Wednesday.
Activists and attorneys for Rice's family have called for an
independent investigation of the shooting.
Rice, a sixth-grader, was shot by a police officer responding to
a call of a suspect brandishing a handgun in a park. The weapon
turned out to be a replica that typically shoots plastic
pellets.
A coroner's report ruled the death a homicide. Spokesmen for the
sheriff and Cleveland's city hall did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
The Rice shooting came at a time of heightened scrutiny over use
of force by U.S. police. Cleveland's police force has been under
a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, which found last
month that the department systematically engages in excessive
use of force.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Bernard Orr)
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