911 Dispatcher In Tamir Rice Case Gets 8-Day Suspension Over Role In Shooting

The 911 dispatcher who took the call that ultimately led to the death of a 12-year-old black boy shot by a white police officer has been suspended for 8 days for her role in the killing. 

On March 10, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams filed a disciplinary letter  against dispatcher Constance Hollinger that said she violated protocol the day of the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice.  

Rice was killed outside a Cleveland recreation center in November 2014 within seconds of officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback spotting the boy, who had been playing with a pellet gun. 

In the 911 call to Hollinger, a man claimed he saw “a guy” pointing a gun at people. But he also clarified that it could just be a kid with a gun that might be “fake.” City investigators determined that Hollinger did not pass off that relevant information to another dispatcher who sent Loehmann and Garmback to the scene.

Neither Loehmann who fired on Rice nor his partner Garmback were ever criminally charged. They might still face discipline within the police department that could lead to their dismissals.   

In a statement, the boy’s mother, Samaria Rice, said Hollinger’s eight-day suspension was “unacceptable,” according to CBS News.

“Eight days for gross negligence resulting in the death of a 12-year-old boy,” Rice’s attorney, Subodh Chandra, said in the statement. “How pathetic is that?”

Last year, Cleveland agreed to pay the Tamir’s family $6 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. The city, however, made no admission of wrongdoing.