A US grand jury has declared that it will not indict Timothy Loehmann, the white police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old black youth Tamir Rice while Rice was holding a pellet gun. Loehmann's partner will also not face charges.
The story garnered widespread attention and attention, as it came during a period of protests about white police officers shooting black men and boys.
The incident occurred last November, after police received a report of someone carrying a pistol. Loehmann responded to the call and, less than two seconds after arriving on the scene, shot Rice.
Rice had only been holding a toy pellet gun, but the gun's orange safety tip had been removed. Without the tip, it was reportedly indistinguishable from a real weapon.
The prosecutor, Timothy McGinty, argued that Rice's death was due to a "perfect storm of human error, mistakes and miscommunications by all involved that day," and insisted that the police responded appropriately to the situation as they saw it.
Rice's family has accused McGinty of abusing the grand jury process and stated that they are “saddened and disappointed” by the result, “but not surprised.”