Police fatally shoot 13-year-old boy 'armed' with a BB gun

(Image credit: iStock)

published 15 September 2016

A 13-year-old boy was fatally shot in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night after police mistook the boy's BB gun for a real firearm. Police were called to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. after receiving reports of an armed robbery attempt. Upon arriving, they spotted a group of three males about a block away from the scene that seemed to match the victim's description.

However, when police approached, two of the three males — one of whom was 13-year-old Tyree King — reportedly fled. Police trailed King and another male into an alley, and officers said in a statement King "pulled a gun from his waistband" when they attempted to take him and the other suspect into custody. An officer then fired "repeatedly" at King, The Associated Press reported.