THE white police officer who shot 12-year-old black child Tamir Rice for brandishing a toy gun was justified in opening fire, two reviews of the case have claimed.

The reports were published on Saturday by the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office, which requested the independent reviews before a grand jury hearing into the case.

The jury will decide whether newly qualified officer Timothy Loehmann should be charged for killing Mr Rice last November.

A retired FBI agent and a Denver prosecutor both said Mr Loehmann had used reasonable force because he had reason to perceive the boy, described in an emergency call as a man waving and pointing a gun, as a serious threat.

Rice family lawyer Subodh Chandra said the release of the reports showed the prosecutor was seeking to avoid accountability.

Mr Chandra also questioned the timing of the release, which took place at 8pm on a Saturday during a holiday weekend when it was least likely to be reported.