Source: JORDAN GONZALEZ/AFP / Getty Images
CLEVELAND — Tamir Rice’s father, Leonard Warner, is speaking for the first time, exclusively with WKYC Channel 3.
Rice, 12, was shot and killed by Cleveland Police Officer. Timothy Loehmann in November of 2014 outside the Cudell Recreation Center. Rice held an airsoft gun. Police say the weapon was indistinguishable from a deadly firearm.
The officer opened fire within two seconds of pulling up to the scene.
Warner, who has been silent since the incident, says he had no idea his son had the airsoft gun. WKYC Channel 3’s Hilary Golston asked, “Do you know how Tamir got the gun?”
“No,” Warner replied.
Golston: “He never told you or his mother?”
Warner: “The only person know is him.”
Walter Madison, the Rice family attorney, says a 16-year-old neighbor boy gave Tamir the airsoft gun, while the teen charged a cell phone. Madison says Rice only had possession of the fake weapon for minutes. He says he wants “justice for Tamir and the video speaks for itself,” Madison told Golston. “The consent agreement vindicates that he did not receive justice that day and that he did not have to die.”
READ MORE: WKYC.com
Article and Video Courtesy of WKYC Channel 3 News
Picture Courtesy of Getty Images
