SAN DIEGO _ The 15-year-old boy who was killed by police officers early Saturday morning after he pointed a BB gun at them had a suicide note in his jacket pocket that indicated he planned the incident, San Diego police said Monday.
Police have not identified the teen, but friends said he was Jacob Peterson, a freshman at Torrey Pines High School.
He was fatally shot near the front of the Carmel Valley campus after someone called 911 shortly before 3:30 a.m. and asked police to check on a boy at the school. Officers later determined the boy had made the call himself.
"We are confident he did plan for the incident to happen," said police Lt. Mike Holden, who did not disclose what the note said.
Police said the boy ignored commands to drop his gun and continued aiming at an officer while walking toward him. Fearing for their safety, both officers fired. The shooting occurred within a minute of the police arriving.
Holden said that the teen did not disclose that he was feeling suicidal when he made his 911 call.
On Monday, police identified the officers involved in the shooting as Officer Gilbert Flores, a 28-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department, and Officer Kai Johnson, who has been with the department for four years.
Holden said both officers had body cameras that they turned on during the incident, and that the footage will be submitted to the district attorney's office. Investigators are expected to brief the office in the next coming days, but the full investigation won't be submitted for months, Holden said.
Investigators have been in daily contact with the boy's family. On Sunday, the boy's mother said the family "is mourning the loss of a loving and wonderful young man" and asked for privacy.
Students are the Carmel Valley campus were in mourning as well, and the mood on campus was somber Monday, students and administrators said.
"There was an air of melancholy," said senior, J.C. Birkfeld, 18. "People (are) very upset and frightened at this tragedy."
During classes, teachers started discussions about the incident and encouraged students who wanted more help to talk with grief counselors brought in by the district this week.
Students who knew the boy recalled him as a sweet, sensitive classmate.
"He was just like a quiet kid," said sophomore Jannah Scholten, 14, who said she had a class with him last year. "He was really sweet and really smart. And really political."
At a memorial outside the campus, flowers, candles, rosaries and other items piled up, and students left notes and poems expressing their sorrow over the boy's death.
"I'm sorry I never reached out to you or asked how your day was going when I saw how sad you looked," wrote one student, who signed the name Annabelle.
"My friend was shot in the parking lot, but they forgot what his name was," one poem read. "He was lost so he called the cops to read his thoughts and make it stop."
Students who knew him in class described Peterson as shy but bright, and very engaged in schoolwork.
"He was really quiet, and would always doodle," said Lindsey Hart, 15, who shared four classes with Peterson. "He was really smart."
He also had a lighter side, she said.
"He would make jokes and laugh at things," she said.
Jacqueline Fisher, 18, knew Peterson from a law class they took together.
"He was a very special student," she said. "He was always sweet in class."
Peterson, she said, was intrigued by the mafia, loved the "Godfather" movies, and did a class presentation on the mob. Despite his interest in the darker side of legal studies, she said he showed no sign of distress or depression.
Robbie Levinson, 17, was also in the law class with Peterson, and said there was no indication his classmate was troubled.
"He just seemed like a good kid who showed up and did his work," Levinson said. "I guess he was having issues and keeping it more internal."
One parent said the school had made several efforts over the years to raise awareness about mental health problems and to emphasize suicide prevention.
Sharon Rosen Lieb, whose daughter attends the high school, said the school offers a program called PALS that trains students to reach out to classmates who may be feeling depressed or isolated.
She said the campus also hosts an annual event where students can speak about family or social issues.
"Torrey Pines is a very aware place in terms of mental health issues," she said. "That's what makes this all the more tragic."
