The city of Cleveland has agreed to pay Tamir Rice’s family $6 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed over the boy’s 2014 shooting death by city police.
The settlement does not resolve all of the lingering legal issues surrounding the killing of Tamir. However, it is a sign that both the city and the boy’s family did not want to endure what could be tension-filled litigation process that could last years.
The City of Cleveland will pay $6 million to settle all claims. According to the civil lawsuit document, the City shall pay $3 million in 2016 and $3 million in 2017.
Tamir Rice’s estate will receive $5.5 million, Samaria Rice, the boy’s mother, and his sister Tajai Rice will each receive $250,000. The settlement was revealed via a court filing from U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, who presided over settlement talks.
Neither the city nor the officers or dispatchers involved will admit to any wrongdoing. The city will pay $3 million this year and $3 million in 2017. The settlement must be approved by a Cuyahoga County Probate Court judge before it is finalized.
Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir while the boy was playing with an airsoft pellet gun outside Cudell Recreation Center. Loehmann, along with his partner Frank Garmback, were responding to a report from a dispatcher of a guy with a gun. Tamir, who lived across the street from the rec center and played there almost every day, wasn’t given first aid until about four minutes later, when an FBI agent trained as a paramedic arrived.
Tamir died on Nov. 23, 2014, the day after the shooting, and the lawsuit was filed two weeks after his death. The family and the city agreed in March to enter settlement talks.
The shooting caused outrage across the country. The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a review of the case to see if either officer violated any federal civil-rights laws. However, such reviews very rarely yield criminal charges.
