While the Presidential election has been dominating the headlines, unjust tragedies are happening in our nation that need our attention. Losing a child is the most devastating experience a family can go through. Yet imagine losing them to the actions of the very people who are sworn to protect and defend them - the police.

 

This is what the family of 13 year old Tyre King faced when he was shot and killed by Ohio police. Almost two years after the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, Tyre King has become another victim of police violence against Black children. The police claim that Tyre brandished a BB gun, but an independent medical examiner report shows that Tyre was likely running away from police when they shot and killed him. To make matters worse, right now Tyre’s murder is being investigated by the same police department that put his killer back to work. When the cops police themselves we already know what the result is: no accountability. We cannot allow another Ohio officer to get away with killing a Black child. We can not stand by as more black families and communities are ripped apart by police violence. 

 

Unfortunately, we’ve seen this pattern before. Local District Attorney offices have been largely inefficient in handling police officer killings due to a reluctance to pursue criminal indictments of police officers. When officers kill, they are almost never held accountable because of an inherent conflict of interest that arises whenever local prosecutors investigate the police officers they work with every day. And the chances of prosecution are lower when the victim is Black. The police officer who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year in Cleveland, Ohio, was cleared under similar circumstances.

 

 

The Columbus Police Department and Prosecutor Ron O’Brien have repeatedly failed to hold police accountable in cases like the killing of Henry Green, a 23-year-old Black man who was ambushed and killed by plainclothed Columbus police in August. Columbus residents are tired of police not being held accountable and have organized several protests demanding for Prosecutor Ron O’Brien to hold police accountable and call for an independent investigation.

 

Tyre’s family is also not buying the police’s story of Tyre brandishing a gun. They initiated the independent medical examination, and it found that based on the location and direction of the wound paths determined that Tyre was running away from officers. Even eye witness Demetrius Braxton, who was allegedly with Tyre at the time of the shooting, said that Tyre was running away from the police when they shot him dead.

 

Tyre's family released a statement explaining that his death requires an independent investigator because the "The Columbus Police Department, the City of Columbus and most importantly Tyre King and his family deserve the benefit of an investigation from a law enforcement agency that has no direct impact from the outcome of that investigation". And we agree. Prosecutor Ron O'Brien has been approached repeatedly by the Ohio community to take action on police shootings including Tamir Rice and 23-year-old Henry Green, but he repeatedly does nothing. It is apparent that a cover-up may be taking place, and Ron O’Brien needs to step aside to ensure an accurate, independent investigation takes place.

 

Please join us as we partner with ColorofChange to stand with Tyre King’s family for justice and accountability for his death. No mother should have to bury their child due to police violence and there shouldn’t be automatic impunity for those that pull the trigger.