Dispatcher Constance Hollinger was suspended for eight days after an investigation confirmed that she failed to relay adequate information to officers Frank Garmback and Timothy Loehmann, who were involved in the 2014 shooting death of then 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
According to the Associated Press, the investigation was spearheaded by prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty, who said that Hollinger inaccurately relayed the 911 caller’s message that Rice appeared to be an adolescent, and the object in his hand might be a “fake” gun.
Once the officers hastily arrived on the scene where Rice was located — outside of Cleveland’s Cudell Recreational Center — Loehmann pulled out his firearm and fatally shot Rice in less than five seconds upon arrival.
In a statement issued by Subodh Chandra, attorney for Tamir’s mother Samaria Rice, the suspension period feels like a slap in the face. “Eight days for gross negligence resulting in the death of a 12-year-old boy,” Chandra said. “How pathetic is that?”
Two years ago, a grand jury opted to not file criminal charges against the two aforementioned officers. However, News 5 states an administrative investigation is still underway. The Rice family recently won a federal civil rights lawsuit of $6 million in April 2016.