While many know the face of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was shot dead by a Cleveland police officer for carrying a toy pellet gun in a park, not many are as familiar with the officer who killed him.
According to Buzzfeed, Officer Tim Loehmann has been reported as “emotionally unstable” in a series of documents they obtained from the city of Independence, Ohio, uncovering that he was asked to resign or be fired from his former position with the department.
The site reports:
In a Nov. 2012 letter to the Independence police department’s Human Relations Director recommending Loehmann’s termination, Independence Deputy Chief Jim Polak explained that for much of his time on the force, Loehmann “was distracted and weepy.” He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal.”
They also describe an officer’s account of working with Loehmann while out for a ride:
During this drive, Sgt. Tinnirello continued to speak with Tim about his problems, and Ptl. Loehmann continued with his emotional meltdown to a point where Sgt. Tinnirello could not take him into the store, so they went to get something to eat and he continued to try and calm Ptl. Loehmann. Sgt. Tinnirello describes the recruit as being very downtrodden, melancholy with some light crying. … Some of the comments made by Ptl. Loehmann during this discourse were to the effect of, “I should have gone to NY,” “maybe I should quit,” “I have no friends,” “I only hang out with 73 yr old priests,” “I have cried every day for 4 months about this girl.”
There was another incident wherein Loehmann left his handheld gun unsecured in his locker overnight, despite it being against the rules, and also took off his bulletproof vest due to high temperatures.
This will definitely bring new light to the case behind the shooting of Tamir Rice, being that one major detail is that he reportedly cannot properly handle a firearm…
To see the documents, head over to Buzzfeed.
SOURCE: Buzzfeed | PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook
