That outcome was hardly unexpected, since the office of Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty actively sabotaged its own case with “expert” reports justifying the November 2014 shooting. But judging by the way McGinty and his deputy Matt Meyer performed at Monday’s announcement that no criminal charges would be filed against officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, I suspect that they did not argue for charges in the 12-year-old boy’s death during the grand jury proceedings. Actually, it seems they acted as defense lawyers for these cops, making an argument for why they were not legally responsible and providing every excuse they could for shooting a kid carrying a toy gun.
McGinty and Meyer made repeated references to Tamir’s height and weight, arguing that he looked older than 12.
Prosecutor suggests Tamir Rice looked older than 12 years old.
Odd detail, as being older than 12 is not grounds for using deadly force.
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) December 28, 2015Meyer also blamed the lack of medical attention given to Tamir partly
on the boy’s panicked older sister, who supposedly distracted Garmback at the
scene. Meyer also added the takeaway quote of the presser: “We don’t
second-guess police officers.”
They should have. After all, it was the prosecutor’s mandate to seek charges against two of them. There have been several calls for McGinty to resign, and I’ll add my voice to the chorus. Not because he didn’t succeed in securing indictments, but because it seems clear that he didn’t try.