Police in Columbus, Ohio, say that officers who responded to a reported armed robbery Wednesday night located and pursued young suspects — and when one pulled what looked like a gun, an officer shot him multiple times, killing him. That suspect, Tyree King, 13, had a BB gun with a laser site, police say.
"This is very realistic," Sgt. Rich Weiner said of the BB gun, according to member station WOSU.
After the shooting, King was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 8:22 p.m., police say.
King was pronounced dead 40 minutes after officers were sent to an area near the intersection of South 18th Street and East Capital Street, just south of Broad Street east of downtown Columbus. They spoke to the victim of an armed robbery, who described a group who had approached him and demanded money after showing him a gun.
"Officers observed three males matching the descriptions in front of 33 Hoffman Street and attempted to speak with them, when two of the males fled on foot," the Columbus Police Department says, adding that the officers followed the males to an alley — and that when they tried to take the suspects into custody, "one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband."
One of the officers "shot and struck the suspect multiple times," police say.
Crime scene investigators later found what looked to be a handgun — but "it was determined to be a BB gun with an attached laser site," police say.
Police say that the male suspect who was with King was questioned and released, adding that the investigation is continuing. The department's critical incident response team is investigating the shooting, police say.
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