Columbus Police have identified the officer who shot and killed a black 13-year-old boy and placed him on administrative leave amid calls for further investigation of the shooting.
Officer Brian Mason, a nine-year veteran of the Columbus Police who is white, opened fire on Tyree King while responding to reports of an armed robbery. Police say Mr Mason opened fire on the black teenager after he allegedly brandished a firearm.
Authorities later determined the gun was a BB gun with a laser sight.
There is no known video of the shooting as Columbus Police are not required to wear body cameras.
“Our officers carry a gun that looks practically identical to this weapon,” said Police Chief Kim Jacobs Thursday morning, displaying a picture of the replica weapon. “As you can see, it looks like a firearm that could kill you.”
Mr Mason has been placed on administrative leave while internal investigators look into the shooting. He is expected to remain on leave for a week.
A neighbourhood witness told the Columbus Dispatch that he saw the officer giving chase to two young men in an alley behind his house. He reported hearing multiple gunshots seconds later.
“We consider it a tragedy when something like this happens,” Ms Jacobs added. “This is the last thing that a police officer wants to do in their career.”
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther appeared emotional at the press conference and made calls for the community to come together.
“There is something wrong in this country, and it is bringing its epidemic to our city streets,” he said. “And a 13-year-old is dead in the city of Columbus because of our obsession with guns and violence.”
He added: “It is a dangerous time to be a police officer in this country. It is our job to protect them as well as the people they protect.”
According to figures from the Officer Down Memorial Page, at least 39 police officers have been gunned down in the line of duty in 2016. Meanwhile, more than 700 people have been killed in officer-involved shootings this year, The Guardian’s “The Counted” database shows.
The killing comes two years after the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who succumbed to gunshots from a Cleveland police officer. CCTV captured the shooting and revealed police opened fire on Rice only two seconds after arriving at the scene.
A neighbour called 911 on Rice while the adolescent was playing with a BB gun in an area park.
