The former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 has resigned from the White Sulphur Springs Police Department following public outcry over his employment.
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White Sulpher Springs Mayor Kathy Glover confirmed Timothy Leohmann’s resignation. She stated, “At the request and recommendation of the Chief of Police for the City of White Sulphur Springs, Timothy Loehmann was hired as a probationary Police Officer and an at-will employee for the City of White Sulphur Springs. As of today, Monday, July 1, 2024, Timothy Loehmann has resigned his position and is no longer an employee with the City of White Sulphur Springs.” The decision to hire Loehmann had sparked outrage and concern within the community.
The shooting of Tamir Rice and its aftermath followed Loehmann throughout his career, as he has tried to apply for positions at different police departments but left after backlash from local communities. In 2018, he was briefly employed at the village of Bellaire Police Department in Ohio but resigned shortly after. A similar situation occurred in 2022 when he withdrew his application from the Tioga Borough Police Department in Pennsylvania.
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West Virginia NACCP President Loretta Young explained to WWVA that the community came together to ensure that Loehmann did not work for the police department and that communities had the power to hold their elective officials accountable for similar situations.
As the State President for the WVNAACP, I understand the concerns of the White Sulphur Springs community in relation to the hiring of Timothy Loehman. In reality the WVNAACP unlike the ACLU of West Virginia we are a volunteer organization. More importantly, I believe that this issue was a community issue which should have been led by community members.
The Cleveland Police Department also dismissed Loehmann for his dishonesty on an application. On November 22, 2014, Loehmann shot and killed Rice, who was playing with a pellet gun outside the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland. The Cuyahoga County grand jury and Cleveland’s Critical Incident Review Commission cleared him from the charges.
