The mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old Cleveland boy fatally shot by police in November, returned to the playground where her son was mortally wounded, saying she remained in shock. "It's just so unreal," Samaria Rice said Wednesday, bundled against the cold and struggling to find the words to describe her grief. She added: "I just can't believe it. I'm still in shock, for real. I'm still in shock that this could be happening to me."
Her son, Tamir Rice, was playing with a toy gun on Nov. 22 in the Cudell Recreation Center playground when two cops approached in a patrol car. Within two seconds of stopping, one of the officers shot him, according to security camera footage of the incident. Tamir died the next day.
The case is expected to go to a grand jury soon. Meanwhile, Tamir's family has filed a lawsuit against the Cleveland Police Department, which has handed the investigation of the shooting to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office. The family also plans to file a complaint with the Cleveland Police Civilian Review Board regarding the shooting as well as an officer's tackling and handcuffing of Tamir's 14-year-old sister.
