Police in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday shot and killed a 13-year-old black boy who was carrying a BB gun, authorities said.
The air gun which the boy, Tyree King, was holding had a laser sight and an officer mistook it for a lethal firearm, police said.
The boy was shot multiple times and died in a Columbus children’s hospital.
Authorities said the incident occurred as officers were responding to a report of a robbery in which several people, one carrying a gun, approached a man and demanded money.
Police said officers spotted a group of three people, including Tyree, who matched a description of the robbers.
The officers approached the group and Tyree and one of his companions fled, police said.
Tyree was shot multiple times after allegedly pulling the BB gun from his waistband.
Officials did not immediately identify the officer involved or release more detailed information about the shooting, including the race of Tyree or the officer who shot him.
The city’s mayor and police chief were expected to address the public at 11am.
Tamir Rice
The death of Tyree King has similarities with the police shooting in a Cleveland park of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014.
Tamir, who was black, was carrying a pellet gun. Officer Timothy Loehmann opened fire moments after pulling up to the park.
Dispatchers had received a 911 call reporting that someone was pointing a gun at people in the park, with the caller adding that the gun was “probably fake” and the carrier was “probably a juvenile”.
Tamir’s death was one of a number of high-profile police killings of black Americans that spurred protests across the country regarding the disproportionate number of black people killed by police.
According to The Counted, The Guardian's project to track every person killed by US police in 2015 and 2016, Tyree is one of 14 children killed by police so far this year.
At least 34 people who were killed by US police this year were carrying non-lethal firearms, such as pellet or toy guns, that authorities mistook for lethal weapons.
Guardian service