Tamir Rice shooting video released by Cleveland police

Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police, was told to show his hands three times by officers before they opened fire, a senior officer says.

Tamir Rice, whom the officers appeared to believe was much older, was shot twice and later died in hospital.

Cleveland police has released video and audio recordings of the incident.

CCTV video shows Tamir Rice pointing the toy gun at a passer-by from the playground where he was shot, which prompted a 911 emergency call.

Recordings of radio communications reveal a police officer at the scene describing Tamir Rice as aged “maybe 20” after the shooting.

A separate recording appears to confirm the officers were not told the gun might be fake.

Cleveland police said on November 26 that the family had given permission for CCTV recordings of the shooting to be released.

The footage shows Tamir Rice walking around a playground with a replica gun clearly in his hand.

Minutes later, a police car drives up and stops immediately next to him.

Chief Officer Edward Tomba said that the car door was open when the officers arrived, and that they had ordered the boy to show his hands three times as the car pulled up alongside.

Tamir Rice was then shot and fatally wounded.

In a recording immediately after the incident, a police officer is heard saying: “Shots fired, male down, black male, maybe 20.”

A recording of the call from the operator to police officers as they were dispatched to the scene appears to confirm that there was no mention of a replica gun.

The operator describes the incident as “a black male sitting on the swings, keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people”.

An audio recording of the 911 emergency call had previously revealed that the caller had said the gun was “probably a fake” on two occasions, before adding he was not sure whether it was “real or not”.

[youtube x1GaaMYhrw0 650]