Attorneys for slain boy's family want own experts to testify

CLEVELAND (AP) - Attorneys for the family of the black 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a white Cleveland police officer last year have asked a prosecutor to allow their use-of-force experts to testify before the grand jury.

The request follows the release of reports by prosecutors that concluded the shooting was justified because the officers had no way of knowing that Tamir Rice's pellet gun wasn't a real firearm.

The family's experts say bad police tactics led to Tamir's death.

A consultant notes that police should have better assessed the situation back on November 22, 2014. The consultant also criticizes the prosecutor's experts for assuming that Patrolman Timothy Loehmann warned Tamir to raise his hands before shooting him.

Investigators have noted there is no evidence of that.