13-Year-Old with BB Gun Confronts Police

Police in Columbus, Ohio, are investigating the shooting death of a 13-year old boy wanted for questioning in relation to an armed robbery.The young man, later identified as Tyre King, had “pulled a gun from his waistband” when police officers attempted to arrest him. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun with an attached laser sight, according to police.A picture of the same gun was shown by police Chief Kim Jacobs during a press conference. The picture appears to show a very realistic-looking airsoft gun, which appears to closely resemble a Heckler and Koch VP9 or a Smith and Wesson M&P handgun.https://twitter.com/ColumbusPolice/status/776502381634850817It would be impossible to tell the difference between the airsoft gun and a real gun, even at close range.Police were first alerted to the suspect when they received a call about an armed robbery that took place on a street.A 911 dispatcher was told that “this man just had a gun on this white dude on the street” and that the “guys just took off running,” according to an audio recording released by police officers.The person who called 911 said the holdup was over $10.

BB Gun Was Highly Realistic, Pulled Like a Regular Gun

Officers arrived at the scene and saw three people matching the suspects’ descriptions a block away. When they attempted to speak with them, two of the young men ran away.They followed the males into an alley and attempted to take them into custody.At this point, Tyre King pulled what appeared to be a real firearm from his waistband, when he was shot by one officer multiple times.King was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.No one else was injured.The officers will receive “mandated psychological support counseling” and will be given the opportunity to take leave to “assist in recovery from a traumatic experience,” said Columbus police.The officer involved in the shooting is a nine-year veteran of the force with a clear record. He was previously involved in another shooting in 2012, in which another armed man was killed. It was found that he acted within police policy.

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