US Boy with Fake Gun Shot Dead by Police

A 13-year-old boy carrying a
replica assault rifle has been
shot dead by police in the US
state of California.
Officers in the city of Santa
Rosa say they opened fire
after the boy refused orders
to drop the rifle, which they
believed to be real.
The shooting on Tuesday is
now being investigated.
It comes a day after a 12-
year-old boy in Nevada
gunned down a maths
teacher at his school and
wounded two fellow pupils
before taking his own life,
reports the BBC.
In the latest incident, two
sheriff's deputies saw the
teenager "with what appeared
to be some type of rifle", a news release from the Sonoma County Sheriff's office said.
The deputies called for backup and repeatedly ordered the boy to drop the gun before firing
several rounds from their handguns, police said.
The boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was later identified by his family as Andy
Lopez.
His father, Rodrigo Lopez, said the replica gun had belonged to a friend.
The sheriff's office said a plastic handgun had also been found in the boy's waistband.
Witness Brian Zastrow told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat he heard seven shots.
"First, I heard a single siren and within seconds I heard seven shots go off, sounded like a nail
gun," he said.
Police Lt Dennis O'Leary said the deputies had been placed on administrative leave pending the
inquiry.
Sheriff Steve Freitas described the shooting as a "tragedy" and promised the investigation would
be thorough and transparent.
"As a father of two boys about this age, I can't begin to imagine the grief this family is going
through," he said.
A spokeswoman for the boy's school described him as "a very loved student, a very popular,
very handsome young man, very smart and capable".