Samaria Rice Is 'Mad as Hell' Over No Indictment Decision
Samaria Rice, mother of slain 12-year-old Tamir Rice, has come out with a statement following a grand jury’s decision to not indict two Cleveland police officers involved in the fatal shooting of her son. She said she is “mad as hell,” and that “due to a corrupt system, I have a dead child. I felt as if breath has been take out of my body once again…It’s a struggle.”
On Monday, a grand jury declined to indict both of the officers on criminal charges. The announcement sparked protests, with activists condemning a justice system that has consistently failed to prosecute officers who are involved in the murder of Black people.
Rice was, understandably, still very distraught over the 2014 shooting. “He was my bright and shining star,” she said in the interview with MSNBC, “He was full of life and laughter. Tamir had the potential to be anything in the world. But officer Timothy Loehman and Frank Garmback didn’t even give him a chance.”
She then voiced her concerns over local prosecutor Timothy McGinty, whom Rice says mismanaged the case. “Prosecutor McGinty deliberately sabotaged the case, never advocating for my son, and acting instead like the police officers’ defense attorney," she said.
This weekend, more than 100 activists marched to McGinty’s home, chanting, “New year, no more!” and “McGinty has got to go.” They called for him to be removed from his position and demanded a federal investigation.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.
(Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
