PARMA, Ohio– A judge ordered two teenagers seen carrying BB guns that looked much more powerful, to write essays about Tamir Rice as part of their sentence.
Police in Parma, Ohio, were called to a park in February after a man called 911 and reported two young people, possibly teens, with a gun that may be fake. Video obtained by the FOX 8 I-Team shows police rolling up and two boys immediately raising their hands. Parma police say the kids were 12 and 15, and they both had BB guns that looked much more powerful. Police say the boys followed officer commands, and neither made any sudden moves.
In juvenile court, both boys admitted to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. The judge ordered them both to write a report on how their case was similar to Tamir Rice’s case. Rice was 12-years-old when he was killed by police gunfire in November 2014 in Cleveland. A 911 caller reported someone in the city park brandishing what appeared to be a toy gun. Moments after an officer arrived on the scene, Tamir Rice was shot as he pulled the toy gun, airsoft pistol out of his waist band. Officers on the call had apparently never been told by a dispatcher that Rice had a gun that was not an actual high-powered handgun.
In the Parma case, the 15-year-old must pay court costs of more than $160; the now 13-year-old must pay $150. They also must perform community service.
