California Sheriff’s Deputies Kill 13-Year-Old With Fake Assault Rifle

Sheriff’s deputies in northern California have reportedly shot and killed a 13-year-old boy who is said to have been carrying a replica assault rifle. Fox News reported that two Sonoma County deputies saw the boy walking with the replica assault weapon Tuesday in Santa Rosa, and after ordering him to drop the weapon, shot and killed the boy.

The boy’s father, Rodrigo Lopez, told The Press Democrat that it was his son, Andy Lopez, that had been shot and killed. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, friends and family of Andy say that the replica was a toy gun that belonged to one of his friends. Most believe that the deputies involved were in the wrong, stating that they should have realized he was only a teen and that it was only a toy gun.

“It was tragic what they did. I don’t think it was fair. He was a good kid,” said cousin Luis Lopez, 17.

“He was a great boy and I treated him like he was my son,” said family friend Alma Galvan. “Why couldn’t the police just shoot him in the hand or at least in the leg? Why did they have to kill him?”

A friend of Andy’s, Gabriel Roque, said, “I’m devastated. There’s a difference between a cold-hearted killer walking down the street with a gun than a little kid walking down the street with a BB gun. There’s something wrong.”

The question becomes, did the deputies respond appropriately? Children and teens with guns are becoming a more frequent subject in the news. On Monday, The Inquisitr reported on the Sparks Middle School Shooting, when a 12-year-old student walked into his school with a gun, killing teacher Mike Landsberry and wounding two of his classmates.

Can police be too careful when it comes to guns, whether real or replicas, on the streets? Should there be stricter rules for police concerning shooting at young kids and teens? Or maybe the question should be along the lines of more effective rules for replica guns, especially in public places?

Yes, the event in which two deputies shot and killed a 13-year-old boy is a tragic one, and police say that the shooting will be investigated thoroughly.

[Image via Shutterstock/zimmytws]