Key Takeaways
- Tamir Rice was a creative, athletic 12-year-old whose life was cut short by police violence.
- His family and community continue to honor his legacy through activism and the Tamir Rice Foundation.
- The Tamir Rice Foundation continues to support youth and advocate for justice in his name.
Tamir Rice, like so many Black boys in America, was judged before he ever had the chance to speak for himself. His childhood ended on Nov. 22, 2014, when police shot and killed him while he played with a pellet gun outside a Cleveland, Ohio, recreation center.
Before officers arrived, a 911 caller reported someone with a gun “pointing it at everybody,” though they noted it was “probably fake." Surveillance footage later showed Officer Timothy Loehmann firing his weapon within seconds of stepping out of the patrol car.
One of the first family members to arrive outside the rec center after Tamir was shot was his older sister, Tajai. Police tackled, improperly detained, and placed her in a patrol car while her brother lay dying just feet away. “The day was very horrific for me,” Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, recalled on “Good Morning America.”
Tamir’s death came just months after police killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, further stretching a country already overwhelmed by grief and frustration. Hours-long protests spread through Cleveland and beyond as people demanded justice. In the end, no criminal charges were brought, though in 2016, the City of Cleveland agreed to a $6 million civil settlement with Tamir’s family.
Despite the heaviness of those years, those closest to him — from family or teachers — continued sharing stories about the boy he truly was. In honor of his memory, REVOLT rounded up eight things to know about Tamir Rice.
1. He was the youngest of four siblings
According to CNN, Tamir was the youngest of four children his mother, Samaria, had at the time. He had an older brother, Tavon, and two sisters, including Tajai. “My oldest son was into auto body, cars, and detailing, so he wanted to get his own shop,” Samaria said on the seventh anniversary of Tamir’s death. “Tajai, my youngest girl, she was into animals.”
2. His teacher said he had a “wonderful personality”
About a year after Tamir’s death, his fourth-grade math teacher, Diane Ferri, wrote a personal essay sharing her memories of him. “Tamir, in his best moments, had a wonderful personality. He could be charming and funny,” she wrote for Cleveland Scene. “I believe his childhood had been a confusing one. Tamir enjoyed attention and, like some other children I have known, negative attention can sometimes be as stimulating as positive attention.”
“To me, Tamir Rice is not a news item or a conversation starter. He was an unforgettable student I taught and cared for during a brief period in time,” she later shared. “He was a kid who struggled with being moved from school to school. He was a child who needed a significant amount of attention. Like many inner-city children, Tamir had probably seen and experienced more than his 12-year-old brain could process.”
3. He loved playing sports
In 2020, Samaria reflected on Tamir's life and untimely death on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where she said he likely would’ve pursued sports if he were still here. “He really enjoyed soccer. He enjoyed football. He enjoyed basketball as well,” she said.
“If Tamir [were] alive, he’d probably be doing something with sports. That little boy was so athletic at an early age,” she later added. “I'm not sure what kind of athlete he would have been. We didn't really have a chance to have a lot of those conversations.”
4. He enjoyed drawing
Tamir enjoyed drawing, particularly characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and others. In that same conversation with “GMA,” Samaria shared, “He liked to draw, too. He was part of the art program. He liked his school, for the most part.”
5. The Tamir Rice Foundation was created in his honor
After Tamir’s death, his mother launched the Tamir Rice Foundation, which “invests in the growth and enrichment of all children through after-school programs in arts and Afro-centric culture.” In 2024, the nonprofit held its 10th annual gala honoring Tamir’s life and raising money for its work. The organization also advocates for police reform through policy changes and community-focused initiatives.
“Under Ms. Rice’s leadership, the foundation advocates for youth and families, with its core initiative — The Tamir Rice Afro-cultural Center — serving as an enriching space to keep children safe from unjust harm,” the Tamir Rice Foundation’s website reads.
6. He was “well-liked” by students and teachers
Speaking at Tamir’s funeral, where more than 200 people gathered to honor his life, teacher Carletta Goodwin reflected on some of her students’ “fond memories” with him. “It was very visible — not only was he well-liked — but Tamir knew a lot of students,” she said of the then-12-year-old, who was a sixth grader at Marion C. Seltzer Elementary School.
“He would laugh and talk with students he didn’t even know,” she added. Goodwin also mentioned that he regularly helped classmates and “came to school every day.”
7. He joined his school’s drum line in sixth grade
When Tamir reached sixth grade, he joined his school’s drum line. Describing him as a “big, gentle giant,” Samaria told Christian Science Monitor that he was “learning how to play the drums and learning how to speak Chinese.”
8. A memorial garden was created in his memory
In July 2022, the Rice Butterfly Memorial Garden officially opened on what would have been Tamir’s 20th birthday. It featured an engraved portrait of him with a dry creek bed arranged to look like butterfly wings.
“It’s a sacred place for me. It’s a memory for me, and I want it to be protected,” Samaria told Cleveland Magazine. “My son was murdered here, so this is the only piece that I have of him left.”