Investigation ongoing into fatal police shooting of boy, 13

13-year-old Tyre King was shot and killed by police after pulling out a BB gun.

King was shot by Officer Bryan Mason Eastern on Wednesday, as officers pursued multiple suspects in connection to a robbery. The teenager, Tyre King, put his hand into one of his pockets and pulled out the gun, which caused a police officer to respond by shooting him several times. Police chief Kim Jacbos say it’s important to let the investigation play out and avoid comparisons to the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland.

Tamir Rice, 12, was shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland on November 22, 2014.

Through an attorney, the family has asked for an independent investigation.

“The family is obviously distraught by the murder of Tyre”, attorney Chanda L. Brown said in the statement, describing King as a caring and loving eighth-grade boy who enjoyed playing sports, including gymnastics, and was even selected for the young scholars program.

The officer who fired the shots is a nine-year veteran of the force, who had only recently transferred to the zone where the incident happened, according to NBC station WCMH. The gathering helped to project King as much more than a suspect who allegedly brandished a BB gun before officers fatally shot him Wednesday night.

Loehmann, who responded after a 911 caller reported seeing someone with a pistol that might have been fake, said he thought the boy appeared older and had a real gun. So far, they said, they do not know of any video recording of the shooting.

The Columbus Division of Police said in a statement that when they arrived at the scene they saw three people matching the suspects’ descriptions nearby.

A grand jury concluded the officer and his partner reasonably believed it was a real gun and their lives were in danger, prosecutors said.

Columbus Police Crime Scene Search Unit are seen on Hoffman Avenue on September 15, 2016, near the scene of a police shooting of 13-year-old Tyree King in Columbus, Ohio.

He said he’s looking for people with information in the case to come forward. He says they did, but then Tyre got up and ran and was shot. He later died in a Columbus children’s hospital.

Jason Pappas, the president of the police union representing Mason, said Friday it’s a situation no officer wants to encounter. According to AP, a man told officers that a group of young men had demanded money, threatening him with a gun.

As the Columbus Dispatch reports, Officer Mason was reportedly involved in the shooting death of an armed man four years prior, but was found to have “acted within policy”.

“There is something wrong in this country, and it is bringing its epidemic to our city streets”, Ginther said on Thursday.

Police are still investigating the shooting.

Dozens attended a vigil Thursday night near the shooting, including members of Tyre King’s youth football team. Some carried signs calling for justice, while candles spelled out “RIP Tyre King”.

The hashtag #TyreeKing was among the most used on Twitter in the United States on Thursday morning and Columbus officials called for calm during the investigation. Walton would not discuss any previous dealings Tyre had with police but said the boy had no violent criminal history.

Police records say the reported robbery was over $10. The officers were cleared of wrongdoing.