A 13-year-old boy was killed by police in the city of Utica in the United States on Friday evening in connection with a police chase.
The teenager is said to have also threatened the police with a gun-like object, reports say AP.
After massive criticism from the community where the 13-year-old lived, the police themselves have now released a video showing the sequence of events.
The teenager was killed on Friday evening in connection with a police investigation into an armed robbery in the US state of New York.
Investigated armed robbery
According to police, they stopped two 13-year-olds in the city of Utica who matched the description of the robbery suspects and were also in the same area at the same time the day after the robbery, AP reports. One of the teenagers is also said to have walked on the road, which is a violation of the state traffic law.
After widespread criticism from the community where the 13-year-old lived, the police authority has now itself released the police’s body camera video of the incident.
The video shows how police officers stop the young people because one of them is walking in the middle of the road and that they need to search them to ensure that they are not carrying any weapons – then one of the young people runs away.
Waving a gun – wrestled to the ground
While the teenager is running from the scene, he is said to have also brandished a gun-like object and pointed it at the police who were chasing him. In the video, the police can be heard shouting “Gun, he has a gun”.
One of the policemen wrestles the teenager down and ends up in a scuffle on the ground – then the policeman fires a shot that hits the 13-year-old in the chest.
He receives first aid from the police but later dies in hospital, writes the news agency.
“Tragic incident”
According to the officers, they thought the object the 13-year-old was pointing at them was a handgun, but it was later discovered to be a replica.
The police authority is now conducting an internal investigation and the public prosecutor will open a separate case on the incident to investigate whether the shooting was justified.
“I want to extend my sincere condolences to the family of the deceased during this difficult time,” the mayor of the city of Utica said at a news conference. “This is a tragic and traumatic event for all involved.”