Five months after the shooting of her 12-year-old son Tamir Rice, Samaria Rice is still reeling from his tragic shooting. The City of Cleveland has requested that the grieving mother put her civil suit on hold until the official investigation of Tamir’s death is complete. And her reply has revealed that she is now living in a homeless shelter. Rice made the decision to move from the family’s home after being unable to live near the site where Tamir was killed.
“The incident has shattered the life of the Rice family,” the court filing stated, according to The Washington Post. “In particular, Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice’s mother, has since been forced to move to a homeless shelter because she could no longer live next door to the killing field of her son.”
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The motion also stated that the Rice family has been unable to lay Tamir to rest, as the ongoing investigation may require further viewing of his body.
“Plaintiffs are incurring expense daily and are unsure if they can finally rest Tamir Rice due to the pending investigation,” the motion filed by the family reads. “A stay would exacerbate this expense and emotional distress.”
Tamir was shot on Nov. 22 by 26-year-old Officer Timothy Loehmann after his BB gun was mistaken for a real weapon. Upon the officer demanding he put his hands up, Tamir instead reached for the toy, and was killed by two shots fired by Loehmann. The Rice family attorney, Benjamin Crump, noted that no charges have been brought on anyone involved.
“We come here to Cleveland, Ohio, brothers and sisters, where we had video capture the whole entire episode of what happened to claim this baby’s life. And yet, after five months and counting, no one has been charged, no one has been held accountable for the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.”