WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Timothy Loehmann fatally shot Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014 while responding to an emergency call of the child brandishing a toy gun perceived by witnesses as real. The Cuyahoga Country prosecutor’s office released three expert reports on Saturday analyzing in part the rationality of Loehmann’s actions.
"A 12-year-old with a gun, unquestionably old enough to pull a trigger, poses a threat equal to that of a full-grown adult in a similar situation," a report authored by a retired FBI special agent concluded.
Kimberly Crawford, commissioned by the county prosecutor, further said the "only relevant facts" in the run-up to the shooting were "those possessed by officer Loehmann at the moment he fired his weapon."
A second report from a retired Denver District Attorney special agent Lamar Sims stopped short of "Monday morning quarterbacking."
"However…I conclude that Officer Loehmann's belief that Rice posed a threat of serious physical harm or death was objectively reasonable as was his response to that perceived threat," the Sims report stated.
The Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office said it was not reaching any conclusions from the reports.
"It is the Grand Jury that ultimately decides, after its investigation is complete, whether criminal charges are warranted," Timothy McGinty’s office said in a press statement.
Rice’s death sparked outrage at a time when others, mostly African Americans, have fallen victim to police violence, triggering protests throughout the United States and public outcries for police reform.
