Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014, resigned from a police department in a small town in West Virginia, according to local officials.
White Sulphur Springs Mayor Kathy Glover stated that “As of July 1, 2024, Timothy Loehmann has resigned his position and is no longer an employee,” but she did not provide further comments.
City Council member Thomas Taylor mentioned that Loehmann’s resignation was “due to the public outcry” over his hiring. Loehmann shot Tamir Rice outside a recreation center in 2014, mistaking the boy’s toy gun for a real one, just seconds after arriving on the scene.
Activists, including the head of Black Lives Matter Cleveland, highlighted Loehmann’s hiring on social media, leading to public concern.
Loehmann was not charged with any crimes in state or federal court. He previously resigned from police positions in Ohio in 2018 and Pennsylvania under similar public pressure.
White Sulphur Springs Police Chief D.S. Teubert explained that he met Loehmann through military friends and spent a year researching his background before deciding to hire him. Teubert questioned whether police officers involved in shootings deserve to be barred from working again as officers.