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 The boy was identified as Tamir E. Rice, 12, of Cleveland by the
Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner.
Rice was shot in the abdomen by a city officer at a playground on
the city's west side on Saturday, said Timothy Kucharski, an
attorney for the boy's family.
According to the recording of a 911 call, a witness at the Cudell
Recreation Center park told the police dispatcher that he saw
somebody with a pistol and he was pointing it at people.
The caller told the dispatcher that the gun was "probably fake." But
he said that it was scaring people.
Officers responded and advised the boy to raise his hands, according
to a police statement.
"The suspect did not comply with the officers' orders and reached to
his waistband for the gun. Shots were fired and the suspect was
struck in the torso," the statement said.
After a preliminary investigation, authorities said the gun Rice had
was an airsoft-type replica gun resembling a semi-automatic pistol.
Airsoft weapons are realistic-looking guns used in play combat, and
they usually shoot plastic pellets. Most are made with bright orange
tips so that they aren't confused with real guns. Police said the
orange safety indicator was removed from the replica gun Rice was
holding.
The boy was taken to MetroHealth Hospital where he underwent surgery
Saturday and remained in critical condition until his death early
Sunday, Kucharski said. The death was confirmed by hospital
spokesman Jonah Rosenblum.
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The two officers involved in the incident were placed on
administrative leave. One of them was treated at Fairview Hospital
for an ankle injury.
The shooting followed another incident that shook the city. On
Friday, Cleveland police said four people, including a 41-year-old
pregnant woman, were shot and killed at a home on the city's east
side. A 9-year-old girl was shot in the chest and was treated and
released from a local hospital.
(Editing by Fiona Ortiz, Frances Kerry and Eric Walsh)
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