Two white policemen will be charged for the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice since there is enough evidence on the case, Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine revealed.
The judge ruled that there's probable cause to charge Cleveland officer Timothy Loehmann with murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide or dereliction of duty in the shooting of Tamir, which occurred in November, the Associated Press reported. He also ruled that there's evidence to charge Loehmann's partner, Frank Garmback, with reckless homicide or dereliction of duty.
The ruling was made after Tamir's death caused protests and activists to pass affidavits to rule that there is sufficient evidence against the officers for the case. Such action is based on an obscure section of Ohio's state law that permits private citizens to file affidavits in court for an alleged crime.
"This court reaches its conclusions consistent with the facts in evidence and the standard of proof that applies at this time," the judge wrote.
The investigation of the case by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department was completed and reviewed by the judge and will most likely be brought to a grand jury, which will decide if the police will be charged or not.
Rice family attorney Walter Madison referred to the judge's ruling as "a blueprint for the rest of the nation with respect to citizen participation."
"They're able to participate through engagement," he added. "They can witness the transparency. A transparency leads to legitimacy."
The judge wrote on his ruling that the video of the incident was "notorious and hard to watch." in which Loehmann shot Tamir in the abdomen within two seconds as his partner Garmback stopped near the boy. Loehmann ordered Tamir three times to put up his hands, thinking he was holding a real firearm and not an air soft gun before shooting him.
The shooting of Tamir, who was black, by a white officer raised issues on how blacks are treated by cops and spurred protests around the city, The Washington Times reported.
"It's a small step forward in the fight for justice for Tamir Rice," said Rachelle Smith, one of the activists. "But it isn't justice in and of itself."
Ric Simmons, a law professor at Ohio State University, also commented on the situation.
"Given the prosecutor's expertise and access to the evidence, the prosecutor is in the best position to make a decision about whether to bring charges and what charges are appropriate," Simmons said,
The deadly shooting of Tamir became a national outcry about minorities, especially on how the police treat black boys and men using excessive force and violating their human rights.
