Cleveland to pay $6 million to settle Tamir Rice lawsuit


The city of Cleveland said Monday it will pay $6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was fatally shot by police in 2014 while playing with a toy gun. The settlement awaits approval from a U.S. district judge, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
In December, a grand jury declined to indict Timothy Loehmann, who shot Rice, and his partner, Frank Garmback. The officers said they believed Rice's gun was real.
"Although historic in financial terms, no amount of money can adequately compensate for the loss of a life," the family's attorneys said in a statement. "Nothing will bring Tamir back. His unnecessary and premature death leaves a gaping hole for those who knew and loved him that can never be filled."
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The U.S. Department of Justice is also conducting a review of Rice's death, which contributed to the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement in drawing attention to police brutality against black people.
This post has been updated throughout.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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