Snowshoe Resort Community District (SRCD) rangers in West Virginia escorted Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who killed Tamir Rice, from his new workplace. He became infamous for shooting 12-year-old Tamir Rice to death in 2014. The activist pressure soon cracked the district’s board, which held an emergency meeting and unanimously announced Loehmann’s termination. This decision responds to yet another wave of public outrage at the officer.
As of 2022, Loehmann was the sole police officer in Tioga, Pennsylvania, after taking the oath there. Almost immediately after his hiring, he faced major backlash. This backlash forced him to resign from the post just weeks later. In 2018, he decided to pursue law enforcement full-time and applied for a part-time position with a police department in southeast Ohio. Soon after applying, he retracted his application. This decision came after intense public outcry, led by Tamir Rice’s mother and other local community members. They were against his hiring given his, at the time, controversial past.
The fatal police shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland City of Cleveland settled lawsuit over police officers killing Tamir Rice for $6 million. On that fateful day, November 22, 2014, Loehmann and his partner were dispatched to the scene. Immediately upon arriving, just seconds after taking their call, Loehmann shot Rice, who was playing with a pellet gun, outside a recreation center. For which he was later fired from the Cleveland Police Department for lying on his application to become an officer.
Last year, Loehmann had to resign from a probationary officer role in White Sulphur Springs City, West Virginia. He has been pushed out of SRCD, a sign of a disturbing pattern. This is the fourth time in seven years that he has vacated a small department due to public outcry. Community advocates and observers are sounding the alarm about this troubling trend. They fear the long-term effects of having brought someone with a problematic past into the fold!
Subodh Chandra, an attorney for Rice’s family, expressed his grave dismay. He is deeply concerned that Loehmann might again be able to finagle his way into a law enforcement role.
“Loehmann’s determination to inflict himself on other people seems pathological. So does the craven poor judgment required by any public officials who hire him.” – Subodh Chandra
The police chief that hired Loehmann in White Sulphur Springs has also retired. In both cases, the decision was immediately followed by a public relations disaster. The story of Timothy Loehmann illustrates the failure of law enforcement agencies to find qualified candidates. Yet, their efforts falter when they can’t hold each other accountable and earn community trust.