COLUMBUS, Ohio—The fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old Columbus boy who officers said pulled a BB gun from his waistband that looked like a real weapon will be investigated thoroughly to determine if charges are warranted.
In a killing with unavoidable echoes of the Tamir Rice case out of Cleveland, a Columbus officer responding to a report of a $10 armed robbery shot a young boy Wednesday night after he pulled out a BB gun that looked “practically identical” to the weapon that police officers use, authorities said.
Evidence from the shooting will automatically be presented to a grand jury to determine whether the officer’s actions were justified.
Mayor Andrew Ginther appeared to choke up Thursday as he called for the community to come together and questioned why an eighth-grader would have a replica of a police firearm.
