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After Death of Tamir Rice, Pain Lingers

Family and friends of Tamir Rice, 12, struggle with their loss five months after a Cleveland police officer fatally shot the boy as he played with a toy gun in a park.

Intercut footage of Cudell rec center park, footage of Tamir throwing snowballs and Samaria Title: “After Tamir, Pain Lingers” SAMARIA RICE - 00:01:51 It was just a normal Saturday for us. Every Saturday my children would go to Cudell for the availability of the wi-fi and the gym and the game room. The snow was just beginning to fall so they would also play outside. They were happy that the snow was here, because would be throwing snowballs already. IT’S BEEN FIVE MONTHS SINCE A ROOKIE POLICE OFFICER IN CLEVELAND FATALLY SHOT 12-YEAR-OLD TAMIR RICE. AS THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, THE BOY’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS STRUGGLE TO MAKE SENSE OF THEIR LOSS. SAMARIA - I’m just normal...a single mom from the inner city of Cleveland trying to make a way out. Now I’m out here fighting for justice for my son. Video clip of Devin and Tamir playing in park DEVIN MIMS - I was very close to him. He felt like a little brother to me. 00:06:51 We would swing on the swings, play tag with other friends, run around and just make funny videos. 00:07:03 MIMS - 00:08:42 He was goofy whenever I was around. Things that we always did in the summertime was chase squirrels. And mess with his sister. Devin Mims leaves home, walks toward Cudell park SAMARIA - But the little boy Devin across the street, he usually would knock // knock on the door and asked the kids was they ready to go to the rec. MIMS - 00:19:44 The plan was to meet up at the park. // 00:20:07 And I had the toy gun. Then later on that day when we met up, I gave it to him. MIMS - A while back, it got damaged and wouldn’t shoot BBs anymore, so I removed the tip, the safety tip, so it would shoot again. 911 CALLER 1 - There’s a guy in here with a pistol. You know, it’s probably fake. But he’s like pointing it at everybody. Samaria Rice picks up Tajai from school. Walter Madison driving; SAMARIA - Tamir and Tajai were fairly tall, so people could mistake them at any time. But they were still kids. It doesn’t matter. // They’re kids that play with coloring books and Legos. WHEN THE TIMES VISITED THE RICE FAMILY IN EARLY MARCH, THEY HAD MOVED OUT OF THEIR HOME, LOCATED JUST A BLOCK FROM THE PARK WHERE THE SHOOTING HAPPENED. SAMARIA - Yeah, we don’t want to see that neighborhood like that, for real. Not right now. // A lot of memories. I just was ready to try to start healing a little bit. TAMIR’S MOTHER, SAMARIA, AND HIS OLDER SISTER TAJAI WERE STAYING IN AN EMERGENCY SHELTER. Eating at Stake and Shake... Samaria, “We ain’t got nowhere to chill, y’all, unless you want to go to the library.” THE FAMILY WAS HOMELESS, Walter Madison driving, “this here is police headquarters...” SO THEIR LAWYER WALTER MADISON DROVE US TO THE QUIETEST PLACE WE COULD THINK OF. Walking to Cleveland public library, Jefferson Branch; Walter holds up a book about Cleveland disasters; conversation btwn Samaria and Walter SAMARIA - Is Tamir in that book? It says disasters. The traffic true tales of disaster...oh, ‘tragic’...of destruction... I asked Tajai to go get a book. Tajai struggles with reading... SAMARIA (on camera) - 40:57:13 I talked with Tamir about having toy guns. And I told him there won’t be any in my house b/c people can get the wrong idea. So, I never bought him toy guns, not toy guns, bb guns, water guns, nothing. // Maybe because ... my mom, and what I seen and what my mom put me through and stuff. // My mom went to prison in ‘89. What did she go to prison for? SAMARIA - Manslaughter. She ended up shooting a guy and he died. I was a witness in her trial at the age of 11 years old. So you can imagine what my life has been like. // I made a bad decision in 2012, which made my record not so good. I caught a drug trafficking case. // I’m not sure what I was thinking. SAMARIA - My main thing was to make sure they stayed kids for as long as possible. Cudell rec center surveillance footage 911 CALLER 2 - By the youth center, is a black male sitting on the swings.... SAMARIA - I just know that’s one place they could never get in trouble. I can’t believe the police brought the trouble over there though... 911 CALLER (cont’d) - He keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people. SAMARIA - When you see that video how they sped up so fast, you would think a child would run. My child wasn’t running. He was scared. He was scared, like, what’s going on? Surveillance footage of police shooting OFFICER FRANK GARMBACK (police audio) - Shots fired. Male down. Black male, maybe 20. Black revolver. Black handgun. Send EMS this way, and a roadblock Surveillance footage of officer tackling Tajai in the snow TAJAI RICE - They were like, ah, that’s your brother. So, I ran. I came up. Two police officers tackled me, threw me on the ground, handcuffed me and put me in the car, the same car that shot him. ...I kept on saying, you shot him, my brother is dead. WS Devin Mims MIMS - I was feeling destroyed. How could this happen. He’s only 12 years old. It feels as if I’m the one to blame. But mostly, it’s the officer’s fault. Because he just shot him. Downtown Cleveland, police HQ IN MARCH, THE CITY OF CLEVELAND STATED IN A LEGAL DEFENSE TO THE FAMILY’S LAWSUIT THAT 12-YEAR-OLD TAMIR WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN DEATH. Mayor publicly apologizes for insensitive language in the defense MAYOR FRANK G. JACKSON (file footage) - We are apologizing today to the City of Cleveland and to the family... THE PHRASING CAUSED A PUBLIC OUTCRY, AND THE CITY QUICKLY ADJUSTED ITS DEFENSE. MAYOR FRANK G. JACKSON (cont’d) - ...For our poor use of words and our insensitivity... THE NEW LANGUAGE ALSO CASTS BLAME ON DEVIN MIMS, TAMIR’S 16-YEAR-OLD FRIEND, WHO GAVE HIM THE TOY GUN WITH ITS ORANGE SAFETY TIP REMOVED. Tajai and Samaria moving into house IN EARLY APRIL, SAMARIA AND TAJAI RICE MOVED INTO A NEW HOME - STILL IN WEST CLEVELAND BUT FARTHER AT LEAST FROM THE PARK AND THE PAINFUL MEMORIES. Samaria shows Tamir’s pants, SAMARIA - These are Tamir’s pants. I had just bought him these. Yeah, my son was a big boy, but that’s okay. SAMARIA - Me and Tajai did these masks in the shelter with our grief counselor. Samaria flips masks, “And the inside...” SAMARIA - I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to show emotion, but my son never had a chance, and I’m still waiting on answers for why and what happened. Five months later and ... it’s shock. It’s shock. (i was not sure she said shock, sounds like shot... not sure that matters? Samaria Rice on porch with baby granddaughter —————- END IT —————

U.S. & Politics

After Death of Tamir Rice, Pain Lingers

Brent McDonald and Michael Kirby Smith April 22, 2015

Family and friends of Tamir Rice, 12, struggle with their loss five months after a Cleveland police officer fatally shot the boy as he played with a toy gun in a park.

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