On December 19, 2025, the Snowshoe Resort Community District (SRCD) board in West Virginia voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Timothy Loehmann. Loehmann is the former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014.
The decision was reached during an emergency meeting. It marks the fourth known time in seven years that Loehmann has been forced out of a law enforcement-related position following public outcry.
A Pattern of Secret Hirings
Loehmann had been serving as an armed ranger for the SRCD since June 2024. His employment only came to light recently after an investigative report by Dragline, a publication of the ACLU of West Virginia.
The report revealed that Loehmann had been hired at the recommendation of SRCD Police Chief Bryan Grimm. He had previously worked with Loehmann at another West Virginia department.
The revelation of Loehmann’s presence in the resort community sparked immediate backlash from residents and civil rights activists. In response to the termination, the SRCD board also pledged to overhaul its hiring policies and procedures. This will prevent similar situations in the future from occurring.
The Legacy of the Tamir Rice Shooting
The controversy surrounding Loehmann dates back to November 22, 2014. That was the date he shot and killed Tamir Rice within seconds of arriving at a Cleveland recreation center. Rice was, at the time, playing with a toy pellet gun. A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann, a decision that fueled nationwide protests regarding police accountability and systemic racism.
While Loehmann was never charged with a crime, he was fired from the Cleveland Division of Police in 2017—not for the shooting itself, but for lying on his initial job application.
He had failed to disclose that a previous employer, the Independence Police Department, had deemed him “unfit for duty” due to emotional instability and a “dangerous loss of composure” during weapons training.
Ongoing Advocacy and “Pathological” Persistence
Since his 2017 firing, Loehmann has repeatedly sought employment in smaller jurisdictions:
- 2018: Withdrew his application in Bellaire, Ohio, after public backlash.
- 2022: Resigned from a position in Tioga, Pennsylvania, just days after being sworn in as the town’s only officer.
- 2024: Resigned from the White Sulphur Springs Police Department in West Virginia following community protests.
Subodh Chandra, the attorney for Tamir Rice’s mother, Samaria Rice, described Loehmann’s continued attempts to remain in law enforcement as “pathological.” Samaria Rice has remained a steadfast advocate, vowing to ensure Loehmann never wears a badge again. “I still don’t understand how anyone can ever possibly hire Timothy Loehmann,” she stated following the West Virginia firing. “I am happy that the community stood up once again.”
Reports indicate Loehmann may have also been recently employed by the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office in West Virginia, though the status of that position remains under investigation as community leaders and the NAACP plan further protests.