In an unfortunate incident, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed by police officers outside the Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. The juvenile victim has not been identified by the authorities. He was taken to the hospital but did not survive the injuries.
What really happened?
According to the Los Angeles Times, emergency services received a call in which the caller asked for police assistance to check a 15-year old boy standing outside the high school. The caller also provided the officials with the description of the alleged perpetrator.
According to the caller, the boy was wearing a gray shirt and black trousers and was of medium build. It was also specifically reported that the boy was unarmed.
When police officials arrived on the scene, they saw a boy who matched the given description. However, as soon as the officers got out of their car, the boy pulled out what seemed like a handgun and pointed it at the two approaching officers. The officers warned the boy to lay down the weapon immediately, but the suspect did not heed their command.
After multiple warnings were disregarded, the boy continued approaching the officers with the weapon drawn, which forced them to open fire on the 15-year-old. According to a statement from the police department, he was shot multiple times and died in hospital.
After the incident, it was discovered that the 911 caller was the boy himself and what the officers thought to be a handgun was in actuality a BB GUn.
The law enforcement department also confirmed that the boy was, in fact, a student of the Torrey Pines High School, where the shooting took place. The victim was also revealed to be a local resident.
However, the officials said that it was too early to label the incident a suicide by cop scenario although, the initial events seem to indicate the same.
Difficult decisions faced by the cops
In such cases, the police officers have very little option but to deploy force. In a situation where someone pulls a gun out, officers have very limited time to take a life or death decision.
It is impossible to ascertain if the weapon pulled out by the suspect is real or fake, and officers are left with no choice if the perpetrator refuses to lay down the weapon and surrender.
Back in October 2016, a similar case transpired in Los Angeles, where a 16-year-old called 911 to report a man with a gun. He had left his own description with the dispatcher. After officers arrived at the scene, he pointed a realistic replica of a gun at them and officers were forced to shoot him down.
