BELLAIRE, Ohio — The former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice has been hired by a police department in a small Ohio village.

The Times Leader reports Bellaire’s police chief confirmed Friday he hired Timothy Loehmann as a part-time officer.

Richard Flanagan said Loehmann was never charged in Tamir’s death and deserves a second chance.

Bellaire is a village of about 4,000 along the Ohio River, more than 150 miles south of Cleveland.

Tamir, who was black, was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center in 2014 when he was shot by Loehmann, who is white.

A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann. He was fired last year after it was discovered he was previously deemed “unfit for duty.”