Tamir Rice fake gun - A 12-year-old, who was shot by a Cleveland police officer, has died after undergoing surgery. Tamir Rice died early Sunday morning at the MetroHealth Medical Center.
The teenager was shot on Saturday at the Cudell Recreation Center at 3:30p.m. where he was playing with a replica gun. Tamir Rice reportedly lived opposite the park with his family.
Reports indicate that the sad incident was precipitated by a call from a concerned bystander to the cops to report the presence of someone with a gun in the park.
"There is a guy in here with a pistol. It's probably fake, but he's pointing it at everybody," the caller said. "It's probably fake but, you know what? It's scaring the shit out of everybody."
Two Cleveland police officers are reported to have responded to the call--a rookie and a veteran. The officers told Tamir Rice to raise his hands in the air, but reports indicate that the teenager reached for the fake BB gun in his waistband.
One of the officers then shot Tamir Rice twice in the torso, after which he was rushed to hospital.
Cleveland Police authorities say although the boy did not point the fake gun at the cops, or threatened them in any way, they could not risk assuming that the gun was a replica.
"We have to assume every gun is real," the President of Cleveland Police Patrolemen's Association Jeff Follmer, said. "When we don't, that's the day we don't go home."
The weapon Tamir Rice was playing with was reportedly an airsoft gun, which looks like a semi automatic hand gun. Fox 8 reveals that the gun's orange safety indicator had been removed.
It's unclear why Tamir Rice refused to raise his hands in compliance with the officers' instruction.
The incident is currently being investigated by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office. Meanwhile, according to mandatory protocol, both officers involved in the Tamir Rice fake gun incident, who remain unidentified, have been placed on paid leave.
Deputy Chief of Field Operations Ed Tomba described the Tamir Rice fake gun incident as a tragedy.
"When an officer gives a command, we expect it to be followed," he said. "The way it looks like right now, it wasn't followed, but we're going to continue our investigation."
Samaria Rice, the boy's mother reportedly told cops that she did not allow her son to have such toys and did not know where he got it from.
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