An official ruled the dispatcher did not follow protocol and an off-duty officer involved hadn't informed bosses he was moonlighting as a security officer.
Two people involved with the events leading up to the killing of Tamir Rice have been disciplined in connection with the case, officials have revealed.
The 911 operator who took the call from a citizen about Tamir, a black 12-year-old who was playing with a pellet gun outside a Cleveland rec center, has been suspended for eight days according to a letter dated March 10.
Read: City Apologizes After Family of 12-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot By Cops Were Billed For Ambulance
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams wrote in the letter that Constance Hollinger violated protocol the day of the November 2014 shooting when she failed to tell the police dispatcher that the 911 caller who told her "a guy" pointing a gun at people had also said the person could be a juvenile and the gun might be "fake," The Associated Press reported.
Officials believe the child's death could have been avoided had the responding officers been given the additional information. Tamir was shot dead within seconds of those officers skidding to a halt outside the rec center.
The responding officers, Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, still face possible disciplinary action but the operator's omission could factor into that decision.
Another police officer, William Cunningham, was working as a security officer at the recreation center where Tamir was killed. Cunningham, who was not directly involved in the shooting, was handed a 2-day suspension by Cleveland safety director Michael McGrath after it was determined he'd failed to receive permission to be working in such a capacity while off-duty.
Read: Cleveland to Pay Out $6 Million Over Fatal Shooting of 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice
Speaking out on Hollinger's punishment, Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, said through her attorney that the eight-day suspension was "unacceptable."
"Eight days for gross negligence resulting in the death of a 12-year-old boy," read the statement. "How pathetic is that?"
Watch: 13-Year-Old Among Trio Arrested in Alleged Plot to Kill Baton Rouge Police
