A white Ohio policeman responding to reports of an armed robbery has fatally shot a black 13-year-old boy after he pulled out a BB gun.
The teen was shot multiple times when he drew what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband during a confrontation with officers in an alley on Wednesday in Columbus, the state capital, police said.
"We consider it a tragedy when something like this happens," Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs told a news conference. "This is the last thing any police officer wants."
Jacobs identified the officer who shot King as Bryan Mason, a nine-year veteran. Mason was placed on temporary administrative duty, pending an internal investigation.
Police identified the victim as Tyree King, although a family lawyer said the boy's first name was Tyre.
The family said in a statement released by a Columbus law firm that it retained to investigate the shooting that "numerous witness accounts are in direct conflict with the officer's version of events."
The family also said reports of King's actions before the shooting were allegations only at this point and called for an independent investigation.
"The family is obviously distraught by the murder of Tyre," attorney Chanda L. Brown said in the statement, which described him as a typical 13-year-old boy who was active in football, soccer, hockey and gymnastics.
"They are shocked and indicate the actions described by the police are out of his normal character," she said.
More than 150 people, including some of King's family members, gathered for a prayer vigil on Thursday near where he was shot, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
"My eyes are still swollen and my head still hurts," King's 13-year-old sister Marshay Caldwell said. "He's really not coming back."
King's death comes nearly two years after the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was black, by a white Cleveland, Ohio police officer who was responding to reports of a suspect with a gun in a city park.
