Cleveland prosecutor who cleared cops in Tamir Rice's death defeated in Dem primary

Cuyahoga County District Attorney Tim McGinty lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday night, less than three months after Cleveland activists began calling for him to be voted out for his handling of the case of 12-year-old Tamir Rice's shooting death at the hands of police.

CleveScene reported that McGinty conceded the Democratic primary race to opponent Mike O'Malley around midnight local time.

McGinty became the subject of protests around the area for clearing Officers Frank Garmback and Timothy Loehmann in Rice's death.

Footage showed the boy was shot and killed within seconds of the officers driving up to the boy at a local park, where he was spotted holding a replica gun in late 2014. McGinty has refused to release the testimony heard by the grand jury who heard the case.

O'Malley amassed the support of 55 percent of voters compared to 44 percent for McGinty with 95 percent of precincts reporting. Since there are no Republican or independent candidates for the position, the result means O'Malley has won the position outright.

McGinty's loss was announced shortly after Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who was similarly criticized for her handling of the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, was also defeated in a primary election.

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