CLEVELAND — Cleveland officials have agreed to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy who was shot dead by a white police officer in 2014, according to documents filed in federal court Monday.
The city made no admission of wrongdoing in the shooting and Rice’s family agreed to drop the complaint against the officer who shot him and another officer, U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster, who mediated the settlement, said in the documents.
Rice was shot in a local park by Timothy Loehmann, one of two white officers who were responding to reports of a suspect with a gun. An investigation revealed that Rice, who died a day after the shooting, had been seen holding a replica gun that shoots plastic pellets.
The shooting was one of several that have fueled scrutiny of police use of deadly force, particularly against minorities.
“Although historic in financial terms, no amount of money can adequately compensate for the loss of a life,” Subodh Chandra, the Rice family’s attorney, said in response to the reported settlement.
“The problem of police violence, especially in communities of color, is a crisis plaguing our nation. It is the Rice family’s sincere hope that Tamir’s death will stimulate a movement for genuine change in our society and our nation’s policing,” he added.
Officials with the city and police union could not immediately be reached for comment. The two officers have been on restricted duty since the shooting and will remain so through an internal police review.
Rice’s family filed its lawsuit against the city and the officers two weeks after the shooting. They had also demanded that the officers be charged, a special prosecutor handle the case and the U.S. Justice Department investigate.
In December, a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the officers.
Settlement talks began in early March, according to court documents.
Under the terms of the settlement, which must be approved by a probate judge, Rice’s estate will receive $5.5 million and Rice’s mother, Samaria, and his sister will each receive another $250,000, according to the documents.