US Police to settle Tamir Rice killing by paying $6 million
Officials in the US state of Ohio have agreed to pay $6 million to the family of Tamir rice, in order to settle a lawsuit over the police killing of the 12-year-old black boy.
Tamir was playing with a toy gun in Cudell Park, Cleveland, when police officer Timothy Loehmann shot him dead on November 22, 2014.
US District Judge Dan Aaron Polster, who mediated the settlement, said in court documents that Rice's family agreed to drop the complaint against police officers and the city admitted no wrongdoing in the shooting.
According to court documents, Rice's estate will receive $5.5 million while his mother and sister will each receive an additional $250,000.
Subodh Chandra, the Rice family's attorney, described the deal as “historic in financial terms,” but said it did not compensate for a loss of life.
"It is the Rice family's sincere hope that Tamir's death will stimulate a movement for genuine change in our society and our nation’s policing," he added.
The two officers involved in the shooting have been on restricted duty since the shooting and will remain so until an internal police review is completed.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the case was no substitute for reforms “desperately needed” in the US criminal justice system.
"The web of laws and practices that prevent accountability for police misconduct needs to be taken apart and replaced with concrete solutions to eliminate racial bias in the justice system," Christine Link executive director of the ACLU's Ohio chapter, said in a statement.
This is not the first time that American law enforcement agencies approach the family of their victims for settlement.
In March family of 20-year-old Danroy Henry Jr., killed by a Massachusetts police officer last year agreed to a $6 million settlement.
The family of 50-year-old Walter Scott, who was killed by police after fleeing a traffic stop, received a $6.5 million settlement last October.
Police killings, especially of African Americans, have sparked protests in cities across the US over the past two years.
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