Yesterday, I mentioned that the family of Tamir Rice, the child who was playing with a toy gun in a park when he was shot and killed by Cleveland police, was awarded $6 million as part of a settlement with the city.
Following news of the settlement, the Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association released a horrendous statement to the media, which reads:
Media,By way of reminder, Ohio is an open carry state. Also by way of reminder, Tamir Rice was fatally shot within about two seconds of the officers arriving on scene, having made zero effort to establish his age, whether he was licensed for open carry, or whether the gun was even real.
We have maintained from the onset this has been an absolute tragedy for the Rice family as well as our involved Officers and their families. Our hearts continue to be with them.
We can only hope the Rice family and their attorneys will use a portion of this settlement to help educate the youth of Cleveland in the dangers associated with mishandling of both real and facsimile firearms. Something positive must come from this tragic loss. That would be educating youth of the dangers of possessing a real or replica firearm.
We look forward to the possibility of working with the Rice family to achieve this common goal.
Stephen Loomis
President
If there's anyone who needs further education, it isn't the youth of Cleveland. (By which he means black kids.) It's the police.
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