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

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.
The gun was later determined to be a BB gun, the Columbus Division of Police said Thursday. King was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Columbus Division of Police said, per protocol, that the shooting will be "reviewed internally," The Associated Press reported. The incident comes roughly two years after police in Cleveland, Ohio, fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was holding a pellet gun in a park by his home.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
The Chagos Islands: Starmer's 'lousy deal'
Talking Point The PM's adherence to 'legalism' has given Mauritius a 'gift from British taxpayers'
-
Crossword: June 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said