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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUN. BELIEVABLE. McGinty: "Tamir Pulled His Replica on Police"
In likely one of the most despicable pieces of building-sized bullshit to emerge from this travesty, Timothy McGinty is now stating grainy security footage of Tamir Rice's 0.79 second murder by Timothy Loehmann was justified because Tamir was apparently the fastest draw in Cleveland or anywhere.
He has called the evidence "indisputable."
Assistant County Prosecutor Matthew Meyer explained how frame-by-frame analysis of surveillance video handled by Grant Fredericks of Forensic Video Solutions in Spokane, Washington revealed crucial facts about the November 2014 shooting at Cudell Recreation Center.
It came down to a small point of contrast seen just after officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir.
"You can actually see the gun after Tamir gets shot," Meyer said. "There's a point of contrast on the film that you can see, after [Tamir] collapses to the ground, the point of contrast appears on the concrete gazebo floor that had not been there before."
That point of contrast, prosecutors said, is the replica Colt 1911 that Tamir was seen aiming at people in the hours before someone called 911.
About 40 seconds after the gun appears on the gazebo floor, Loehmann's partner, Frank Garmback, walks to it and kicks it out of the way, Meyer said.
"The significance of that is this: for it to have fallen on the ground, it would have had to have been in Tamir's hand, which means he would have had to have pulled that gun out," he said. "Both officers had their weapons drawn on Tamir even though we know in hindsight he wasn't a real threat to them, which indicates they saw a gun or what they thought was a gun."
The images corroborated the written statement Loehmann recited to the grand jury, McGinty said.
"You could actually see [Tamir] draw his gun on this film," McGinty said. "We could not see it in the muddied [low-resolution] film."
A grand jury declined to charge Loehmann and Garmback after McGinty recommended against an indictment.
"We knew that ethically there couldn't be a trial in this case," he said.
Subodh Chandra, one of a team of lawyers representing the Rice family in a civil lawsuit against the city, department and the officers, said it is debatable whether Tamir is seen pulling the gun out of his waistband.
"That is hotly disputed," he said. "The prosecutor is literally just making that up. He's making it up to try to sell the public on what he's done. That is not true that it's undisputed."
spanone
(135,861 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)nothing more, nothing less.
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)The wording appears to not only be blaming Tamir Rice for his own death, but furthering the wingnut narrative that he pointed a gun at the drive-by shooters who happened to be wearing badges. The use of the word "pull" indicates "pointed" or to a lesser extent "drew", neither of which happened. Taking a pellet gun out of one's waistband (which, from the video, doesn't appear to have been done with any sort of aggression) does not warrant a point-blank shot to the chest of a 12 year old boy with no one else in the surrounding area.
How is this language helping to "heal wounds"? How is this half-baked conclusion based off of grainy footage enough to let those two drive-by shooters off of perjury and manslaughter charges??
malaise
(269,157 posts)Their only goal is exonerating the killer cop - black lives do not matter even when they're kids.
linuxman
(2,337 posts)Anyone have a link?
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)I'll count on that being released probably when the Earth crashes into the Sun.
catnhatnh
(8,976 posts)"Both officers had their weapons drawn on Tamir even though we know in hindsight he wasn't a real threat to them, which indicates they saw a gun or what they thought was a gun."
You bet your ass he is-what officer would NOT draw his gun after his partner had already fired his? And the DA knew this and yet used the second officers drawn weapon to supposedly back up the other ridiculous bullshit he was spewing...
spanone
(135,861 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)All lies all the time