By Sheryl Estrada
Tamir Rice
Following an internal investigation by the city of Cleveland, Jamie Marquardt, a captain for Cleveland’s Emergency Medical Service (EMS), whose job it is to save lives, was fired for saying in a Facebook post he wished he’d killed a 12-year-old Black boy, Tamir Rice.
“The posts were not acceptable and do not represent the views or standards of the City of Cleveland administration, Department of Public Safety or Division of Emergency Medical Services,” city spokesman Dan Williams said Friday.Marquardt was fired on March 15.
According to FOX 8 Cleveland, a post made in February, which has sincebeen removed,stated the following:
“Tamir Rice should have been shot and I am glad he is dead. I wish I was in the park that day as he terrorized innocent patrons by pointing a gun at them. I am upset I did not get the chance to kill the little criminal (expletive).”
Later though, a post that said in part, “Someonepicked up my phone and made some awful posts under my name. I want to apologize for those who thought it was me. I do not believe or stand for what was written.”
The investigation found Marquardt’s comments on Facebook werea violation of the city’s policies and procedures.
However,Marquardt insists he had never made the comments about Tamir.
“I did not do it,” hesaid in an email to the NY Daily News. “I presented evidence to the city of Cleveland that I did not do it. They fired me simply because it was on the news. They have no evidence I did this.”
A grand jury’s decided on Dec. 28, 2015, not to indict Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Rice on Nov. 22, 2014, or his partner Frank Garmback.The officers mistook his toy pellet gun for an actual weapon. Within two seconds of arriving at the Cudell Rec Center, rookie Loehmann shot Rice.
Related Story: Cleveland Charges Tamir Rice’s Family for Rice’s Ambulance Ride
In February, the city of Cleveland issued an apology to the Rice family for sending a $500 ambulance bill for “emergency medical services rendered as the decedent’s last dying expense.”
The $500 bill has since been withdrawn. The fees included $450 for life support he received and $50 for mileage for the five-mile trip from the site where he was shot to the hospital where he died the next day.
Related Story: School District Employee Calls Tamir Rice’s Mom ‘Stupid B**ch’
Matthew Cicero, a resource officer who works for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the same district that served young Tamir, was placed on a 30-day suspension in January for posting the following statement on Facebook Dec. 30 insulting Rice’s mother, Samaria Rice:
Tamir rices momma just want money. Lets make the proper changes.raise your kids not to play with fake guns stupid b**ch. All this media bc the (sic) are notngetting (sic) what they want. Againpleeeeze anyone who does not like what I post.unfriendly (sic) me or block me your not worth my time
Related Story: Power of the Vote: Prosecutors Handling Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice Cases Lose Seats
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, prosecutor Timothy McGinty has been criticized by the family of Rice and the public for mishandling the investigation into Rice’s shooting death by Loehmann. On March 15, McGintylost the Democratic primaryto former Assistant Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a conclusive victory. O’Malleycapturedmore than55 percent of the vote.
