VIDEO: Cleveland Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Was Dismissed by Another Agency for "Deficiencies"
The Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice had issues with handling guns during his brief tenure with a suburban police department.
A Nov. 29, 2012 letter contained in Tim Loehmann's personnel file from the Independence Police Department says "He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal," according to the letter written by Deputy Chief Jim Polak of the Independence police.
The letter recommended that the department part ways with Loehmann, who went on to become a police officer with the Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland.com reports.
"I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct the deficiencies," Polak said.
Cleveland police said on Wednesday that they never reviewed the Independence file and changed their policies to include checking publicly available records for potential hires.
Loehmann shot Tamir less than two seconds after he arrived to investigate a complaint about Tamir carrying what turned out to be a fake gun.
