By Tom Moore
Mar 12, 2021
(Cleveland) - A State Appeals Court has upheld the firing of former Cleveland Police Patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
Loehmann never faced criminal charges for shooting and killing Rice outside the Cudell Recreation Center, and was not fired for this action, but was fired for lying on his job application. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 8th District Court of Appeals ruled that the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association (CPPA) did not formally serve the city with a coply of the application to vacate the arbitrator's ruling upholding Loehmann's firing.
In a statement, the city wrote, “The City of Cleveland is pleased that the court upheld its decision to terminate the employment of former Cleveland Police patrol officer Timothy Loehmann. The City has consistently maintained throughout this process that Loehmann’s termination was justified." Tamir Rice's mother, Samaria, said through her attorney, :"I am relieved that the officer who killed my child is not going to come back and be a police officer in Cleveland." The CPPA says it will appeal the ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court.