U.S. quietly ends probe into police killing of Tamir Rice. (Photo: Democracy Now)

Cleveland, October 31 (RHC)-- The Donald Trump administration has quietly ended a civil rights investigation into the police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014.  

The New York Times reports the Justice Department ignored pleas by career prosecutors to open a grand jury probe into Rice’s killing for more than two years before denying the request in 2019. 

In 2014, Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann shot Rice within two seconds of arriving at a park where Rice was playing with a toy pellet gun.  When Tamir’s 14-year-old sister rushed to her brother’s side, they tackled her to the ground, handcuffed her and put her in their cruiser. 

Tamir Rice died the next day.  Neither officer was indicted or fired over the killing.