Cleveland Officials File $500 Claim Against Tamir Rice’s Family for EMS

By Kenrya Rankin Feb 11, 2016

In what can only be described as the latest blow dealt to a grieving family, the city of Cleveland has filed a creditor’s claim against the estate of Tamir Rice. The 12-year-old was shot and killed by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann in November 2015.

The claim charges that the family owes $500 for “emergency medical services rendered as the decedent’s last dying expense.” It was served yesterday (February 10). Cleveland Scene reports that the first $450 of the bill is for life support services administered during Rice’s ambulance ride. The remaining $50 is meant to cover mileage for said ambulance. The payment is due on March 11.

“That the city would submit a bill and call itself a creditor after having had its own police officers slay 12-year-old Tamir displays a new pinnacle of callousness and insensitivity,” Rice’s family attorney Subodh Chandra told Cleveland Scene. “The kind of poor judgment that it takes to do such a thing is nothing short of breathtaking. Who on earth would think this was a good idea and file this on behalf of the city? This adds insult to homicide…. The mayor and law director should apologize to the Rice family and withdraw this filing immediately.”