The story of Tamir Rice will com to life in a new film. Samaria Rice, the mother of the Ohio tween gunned down by a Cleveland police officer in 2014, is developing 12: The Tamir Rice Story with Blue Angel Entertainment and Nonara Productions.
Blue Angel CEO, Korstiaan Vandiver, producer Lionel Ntasano and Rice’s mother, have exclusive rights to the story. Vandiver and Samaria will pen the script alongside Danielle Marshay Lee. Vandiver and Lee are also co-directing the film.
“I’m honored and very grateful to [Korstiaan and Danielle] for believing in me and this legacy for Tamir,” Rice’s mother said.
Added Vandiver, “We are just as honored to have the opportunity to bring this story to life and we are all very excited to start this journey together. Tamir’s narrative is so timely and yet so long overdue.”
12-year-old Rice was killed by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann after he and officer Frank Garmback bum-rushed the boy at a local park. They allegedly believed that Rice had a firearm, which turned out to be a toy gun. Loehmann shot Rice to death within seconds of the arriving at the park.
A grand jury decided not to indict the officers, although Loehmann was eventually fired from the police department (for lying on his police application), and the city of Cleveland reached a $6 million settlement with Rice’s family last year.
It’s unclear when 12: The Tamir Rice Story will be released.