Its happened again. A rookie Cleveland police officer responding to a 911 call shot a 12 year old boy in the stomach killing him. The caller warned the 911 operator that the gun was probably not real TWICE. That vital piece of information was not passed along to the officers responding to the call.
12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police has died
By Cory Shaffer
The caller twice said the gun was "probably fake" and told dispatchers the person pulling the gun from his waistband was "probably a juvenile," according to audio released by police officials late Saturday.
The caller's doubt was never relayed to the responding officers - one in his first year on the force, and the other with at least a decade of experience, Follmer said.
The rookie officer saw the boy at a park bench pick up what looked like a gun and placed it in his waistband, Follmer said.
The officer ordered the boy to put his hands in the air. Instead, police said, the boy reached for his gun. Deputy Chief Edward Tomba said the boy made no verbal threats to the officer and there was no physical confrontation.
The officer fired twice at the boy, hitting him in the stomach at least once.
UPDATE: 12-year-old dies after officer-involved shooting at Cleveland rec center
By Blake Chenault
Further information from police reveals the weapon was an "airsoft" type replica gun, resembling a semi-automatic pistol, with the orange safety indicator removed.
The boy's parents don't want to rely only on the police account of the shooting, and are starting their own investigation into the facts surrounding this tragic shooting.
Family of boy shot by Cleveland police will conduct own investigation
By Cory Shaffer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The attorney representing the family of the 12-year-old boy fatally shot by Cleveland police will launch his own investigation into what happened in the seconds before a rookie officer fired two shots at the BB gun-wielding child.
More from Cleaveland.com
9-1-1 caller says gun held by Cleveland 12-year-old shot by police was 'probably fake'
The shooting comes as the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the department to determine if it regularly uses excessive force against its citizens.
Cleveland Police have a history of being trigger happy, as this shocking 2012 double killing of two unarmed suspects after being chased by Cleveland PD shows.
Cleveland to Pay $3 Million Over Police Shooting
By MARK GILLISPIE
Thirteen Cleveland police officers fired into the victims' car after a high-speed chase, killing 43-year-old driver Timothy Russell and 30-year-old passenger Malissa Williams in the parking lot of a suburban middle school. Both were unarmed.
Russell family attorney Terry Gilbert said the settlement of the federal lawsuit helps avoid long and expensive litigation.
Gilbert called the shooting "probably one of the worst cases of police misconduct" in U.S. history because of the number of police officers involved. More than 100 officers and 60 police cars, including some driven by supervisors, were involved in the chase. Gilbert said that by the time the chase ended in East Cleveland, officers had Russell's car blocked in and surrounded when they opened fire.
The chase began when officers patrolling near a homeless shelter on the edge of downtown Cleveland thought they heard a gunshot. Investigators later said it was likely that the officers heard Russell's car backfiring. That sparked a 20-mile chase that lasted 23 minutes and reached speeds of 110 mph.
A car backfires and 100 officers respond eventually cornering the fleeing vehicle and slaughtering its occupants execution style in a hail of gunfire as police poured 137 shots into the car.
UPDATE:
From CNN:
12-year-old with air gun dies in Cleveland police shooting
By Michael Pearson and Ronni Berke
The attorney for the family of the Cleveland youngster, who also was black, downplayed any possible racial connotations to the shooting.The attorney for the family of the Cleveland youngster, who also was black, downplayed any possible racial connotations to the shooting.
Too many American Police Departments have a deeply embedded us vs them culture. That cultural attitude becomes much more pronounced among white officers who patrol predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Propublica Analysis: Young Black Men 21 Times more likely to be Killed by Cops
Cleveland has problem with police using excessive force. This latest police shooting shows even children are at risk. Sloppy work by 911 operators and/or police dispatchers almost certainly contributed to this tragic killing.