Officials in Cleveland have confirmed that it took officers close to four minutes to administer first aid to 12-year-old Tamir Rice after a rookie cop shot the child for holding a fake gun.
Following the announcement that first-aid was delayed, Dan Williams, a spokesman for Mayor Frank Jackson, said the officers’ actions are under investigation.
He did add, however, that he was unsure of the policy related to “how and when officers are required to provide medical assistance.”
According to NewsNet5:
Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said a detective and FBI agent who were in the area responded to the call for help and began giving medical help to Rice three minutes and 49 seconds after he was shot by rookie Cleveland patrol officer Timothy Loehmann.
NewsChannel 5 Investigators asked Cleveland officials why the two officers involved in the shooting did not immediately administer first aid.
According to information obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigators, many area police officers receive first aid training.
We also asked why officials did not show reporters the video of how the officers reacted after the shooting. Williams said the officers only released the video because the family requested the footage be made public.
Cleveland, Akron and other area departments take American Red Cross HeartSaver courses. The course teaches participants how to respond to “injury emergencies.”
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting.
Earlier this week, surveillance video of Tamir playing at a park in Cleveland was made public, showing that the child was shot within 1½ to 2 seconds of the patrol car pulling up to him. The car was not even at a complete stop before Officer Timothy Loehmann hopped out and shot him.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the family of the 12-year-old spoke out, saying their child would be alive if Loehmann had not acted so quickly.
“It is our belief that this situation could have been avoided and that Tamir should still be here with us,” said the family. “The video shows one thing distinctly: the police officers reacted quickly.”
In the wake of Tamir’s death, his family said they hope Cleveland police and Cuyahoga County prosecutors “thoroughly examine” the shooting.
David Malik, one of the attorneys representing Tamir’s family, said Wednesday that he hoped the shooting of Tamir would lead to reform. He cited Cincinnati, where he said the police department, police union and the community worked collaboratively.
“Hopefully, incidents like this won’t occur again,” Malik said.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
SOURCE: Huffington Post, NewsNet5 | PHOTO CREDIT: Handout
