A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by an officer in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 15, after he allegedly brandished a BB gun as police attempted to arrest him, the Columbus Division of Police announced this morning.
The officers were responding to a report of an armed robbery in the area. Tyree King, the 13-year-old, was thought to be one of multiple suspects.
While the name of the police officer who shot and killed King has not been released, it was revealed that he has been a police officer for nine years.
Nearly two years ago, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police in Cleveland, Ohio, when they believed he was armed. Rice also had in his possession a toy gun.
Rice's death sparked many protests nationwide. An Ohio grand jury ultimately chose to not indict the officers involved in his shooting, and the city of Cleveland settled a lawsuit and agreed to pay Rice’s family $6 million.
On Sept. 15 the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, is scheduled to meet with both the city's police chief and the city's public safety director to discuss King's shooting.
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Da’Shawn Mosley (dashawn-mosley.com) is a former Sojourners associate editor and lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
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