Dismantling of gazebo where Tamir Rice was shot set to begin
CLEVELAND — A gazebo where a 12-year-old black boy with a pellet gun was fatally shot by a white Cleveland police officer is expected to be dismantled beginning this week and shipped to a Chicago museum for display.
The gazebo became a makeshift memorial to Tamir Rice, whose 2014 death sparked Black Lives Matter protests. An attorney says Tamir’s mother wanted the gazebo to become a symbol for what happened to him.
Ex-city councilman Jay Westbrook said Monday he’s been co-ordinating the deconstruction with officials at Chicago’s Stony Island Arts Bank. He says a museum official will supervise the deconstruction, scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Tamir was killed by a patrol officer within two seconds of a cruiser skidding to a stop near him outside a recreation centre where the gazebo is located.