Northern California Boy with Fake AK-47 Shot Dead
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iStock/Thinkstock(SANTA ROSA, Calif.) — Two Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies have been put on paid leave following the shooting death Tuesday of a 13-year-old boy in Santa Rosa, Calif., who was carrying a replica of an AK-47 assault rifle.
According to the police report, Andy Lopez was walking home from school when the deputies pulled up behind him in their car and demanded that he put down what they believed was an actual AK-47.
What happened next will be the subject of an investigation as the boy was shot multiple times after he turned around to face the cops while still holding what turned out to be a pellet gun.
The deputies then handcuffed Lopez while administrating CPR. However, the boy was later declared dead.
Now, community members want answers from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, claiming that the shooting was an overreaction by the deputies. It’s the third officer-related shooting in Sonoma County this year.
Resident Gabriel Roque remarked, “He’s a 13-year-old little boy. You can tell him just put it down and like clarify with him that it’s not a real gun.”
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