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An Ohio grand jury decided not to indict the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old black boy last year in Cleveland, Ohio. Protests erupted around the country after the incident, in which police responding to reports of an unidentified man in possession of a gun in a park resulted in one of the white officers shooting Tamir Rice as he allegedly reached for what turned out to be a toy gun. “Based on the evidence they heard, and the law as it applies to police use of deadly force, the grand jury declined to bring criminal charges,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty. He went on to say he agreed with the decision and that human error and miscommunication led to the shooting, not criminal conduct on the part of the officers. Rice’s family issued a statement saying they were disappointed but not surprised by the decision and requesting calm as many prepared to demonstrate. They also accused McGinty of “abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment.” Meanwhile, public tension continues in Chicago, Illinois after another police shooting Saturday killed two black residents. Police responded to a domestic disturbance call the morning after Christmas. When confronted by 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier allegedly carrying a baseball bat, they opened fire. Bettie Jones, a 55-year-old grandmother, was “accidentally struck” and killed as well, according to police. “What happened to Tasers? Seven times, my son was shot,” said Janet Cooksey, the mother of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier. “ I used to watch the news daily and I would grieve for other mothers, other family members. And now today, I’m grieving myself.” Chicago has seen continued unrest since the release of a video in November showing the 2014 police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.Vocab
grand jury
– a group of people who examine the evidence against an individual who has been accused of a crime in order to decide if there should be a trial
indictment
– the act of officially charging a person with a crime
Warm up questions
- What do you know about the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio?
- What is the purpose of a grand jury?
- Can you think of examples over the past year in which police tactics have been questioned in the deaths of unarmed individuals, particularly black men?
Critical thinking questions
- Why did the grand jury not indict the police officers involved in the shooting death of Tamir Rice?
- Why has there been a strong outcry in the last year involving police department practices across the country?
- Do you think the ways in which police are trained to deal with potential suspects need to be improved? Explain.
