The shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice is wrenching from any angle. Rice was playing by himself with a toy gun in a snowy Cleveland park in November when a police cruiser pulled up, an officer jumped out and shot the child almost immediately. It’s a life-altering moment for all involved, and for the Rice family coping has been understandably difficult. On Monday, in a court filing, it became clear how close to the surface the death remains for the Rices.
“‘In particular, Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice’s mother, has since been forced to move to a homeless shelter because she could no longer live next door to the killing field of her son,’” the motion reads, according to the Washington Post. “And, with the investigation still lingering, the Rice family said they have yet to bury Tamir because it is unclear if there will be need for any additional medical examination.”
Five months after the shooting the family is left in limbo as no charges have been filed and no burial has taken place. The Rice’s court filing was in response to a request by the city to delay the civil lawsuit filed by the family until there is a decision on criminal charges for the two officers involved. Samaria Rice, Tamir’s mother, criticized how long it’s taken for the investigation to come to a conclusion, pointing out that charges in police homicide cases in Baltimore and South Carolina have already been filed.
