Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot black 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014, sparking nationwide demonstrations, has resigned from a small-town West Virginia police agency, according to local officials.
“As of July 1, 2024, Timothy Loehmann has resigned his position and is no longer an employee,” White Sulpher Springs mayor Kathy Glover told NBC News, declining to comment further on a personnel matter.
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According to Cleveland.com, City Council member Thomas Taylor made the decision “due to the public outcry” over Loehmann’s employment, who mistakenly shot the child outside of a recreation center in 2014 within seconds of arriving on the scene.
Activists, including the head of Black Lives Matter Cleveland, have recently highlighted Loehmann’s employment on social media.
In 2018, Loehmann resigned from positions in Ohio and Pennsylvania due to similar circumstances, despite not facing any criminal charges in state or federal court.
D.S. Teubert, the White Sulphur Springs police chief, told local media that he met Loehmann through military buddies and spent a year examining the officer’s past before employing him.
“Just like a person, I looked at the whole situation,” Teubert added. “I completed a background check. I investigated everything. It’s simply a sad circumstance. Does any police officer in the world have a chance when involved in a shooting?” “Do they deserve to never work as police officers again, or is it just this shooting?”
