CLEVELAND — The 12-year-old boy shot Saturday by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio has died according to a report on Fox8.com. The officer shot the child at a rec center when the 12-year-old boy reached into his waistband for airsoft gun, police said.
Police were called to the rec center Saturday afternoon when someone called 911 and reported seeing a child on the playground with a gun. The caller stated he did not know if the gun was real or if it was fake.
“There’s a guy in there with a pistol, you know, it’s probably fake, but he’s like pointing it at everybody,” the caller said.
“He’s sitting on a swing right now, but he’s pulling it in and out of his pants and pointing it at people,” the caller said. “He’s probably a juvenile, you know?”
**Warning: Some may find the language used in the video above offensive**
Police said when they arrived to investigate, the child did not raise his hands as ordered. When the child reached for his waistband, police fired striking the 12-year-old boy in the torso.
The child's airsoft-type replica gun resembled a semi-automatic pistol, police said. The orange safety indicator that would have indicated the gun was not a real weapon had been removed, police said.
“Airsoft gun” found on the juvenile involved in Saturday’s officer-involved shooting (Photo Credit: Fox 8)
The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. This is a developing story.
