Video shows boy holding toy gun shot, killed by officer

CLEVELAND -- In Cleveland, police have released video showing a 12-year-old boy being shot by an officer. Tamir Rice was carrying a toy gun that was missing the orange safety indicator, and he was pointing it at people. The department is defending the officer's actions.

The newly released surveillance video shows the final moments of the 12-year-old's life.

911 dispatcher: "A male sitting on swings pointing a gun at people."

In the video you can see the child pointing the toy gun at a park in Cleveland on Saturday, when he was shot and killed by 26-year-old Officer Timothy Loehmann just 10 feet away.

"We've got two officers that were out there protecting the public that had to do something that nobody wants to do," said Commander Ed Tomba.

Officers say they ordered Tamir to show his hands three times and to drop the weapon.

When he appeared to reach for the gun, he was shot twice.

But dispatchers never told officers that the initial 911 caller believed the weapon wasn't real.

911 dispatcher: "It's probably fake, but you know what, he's scaring the (bleep) out of people."

Tamir's family asked that the video be released, as hundreds protesting his shooting now join nationwide demonstrations over the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri.

The two Cleveland officers involved are now on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Officer Loehmann was just appointed to the force in March.

His partner that day was a certified field training officer.