12-Year Old Boy Shot Dead By Cops After Spotted With BB Gun In Play Park

The devastated father of a 12-year-old boy who was shot dead by Cleveland police when he allegedly pulled out a BB gun from his waistband has condemned the officers for their actions. Gregory Henderson, whose son, Tamir Rice, passed away in hospital on Sunday, said the youngster had his whole life ahead of him when he was gunned down outside Cudell Recreation Center.

Wiping away tears, he said: 'Who would've thought he would go so soon? He had his whole life ahead. To be 12 years old, he doesn't know what he's doing. Police, they know what they're doing.' He added that he was still shocked at the death of his 'superhero', whom he described as a keen basketball player who was tall for his size, polite and 'very artistic'.

A concerned man, who was saw the boy at a playground next to a recreation centre on Saturday afternoon, called 911 around 3:30pm and told the dispatcher: 'I’m sitting in the park…there’s a guy in collman1 here with a pistol, and it’s probably a fake one, but he’s pointing it at everybody. The guy keeps pulling it in and out…it’s probably fake, but he’s scaring the s*** out of people.' 

Minutes later, two Cleveland Police officers - a rookie and a 10-15 year veteran arrived at the scene, where they apparently saw Tamir pick up the gun from a table and put it in his waistband. The rookie then asked the boy to put his hands up, at which point the youngster reached into his waistband and pulled out the pistol, Police Patrolmen's Association President Jeffrey Follmer said.

Despite the 911 caller's prior warning that the gun was likely fake, the officer then fired two shots at the boy, at least one of which hit him in the stomach, according to Cleveland.com.  After the shooting he was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in serious condition, but his condition deteriorated throughout the night and he died early Sunday.

Police later told Fox 8 the weapon the boy was carrying was 'an airsoft type replica gun resembling a semi-automatic pistol.' They added that the gun's orange safety indicator had been removed.

Source: Mailonline