A tragic incident in the southwest Santa Rosa neighborhood resulted in a 13-year-old boy's death as California deputies shot and killed the boy for carrying a toy gun that looked like an assault rifle.
Gun violence is taken very seriously in the United States after a series of horrifying shooting incidents recently. But the latest occurrence that caused the death of the young boy has shocked many people. The sheriff's deputies are busy explaining the circumstances under which the measure was taken, but does it justify the young boy's death?
It was Tuesday afternoon when two deputies on a routine patrol spotted Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old victim, holding a toy gun that resembled an AK-47 assault rifle. Sonoma County sheriff's deputies on duty pulled over and repeatedly ordered the boy, who was standing about 20-30 feet away with his back to the cops, to drop the gun. The boy turned around on the command with the toy rifle raised in his hands.
Since Lopez failed to comply with the orders, the cops opened fire and shot several rounds at him. The cops believed the toy gun was an authentic weapon and they were aware of the damage that this type of assault rifle could cause, according to several media reports.
"He has quite a bit of experience with this kind of weapon. He's aware of the kind of damage these kinds of weapons can do," said Santa Rosa Lt. Paul Henry of one of the cops who opened fire. The weapon can fire ammunition that "can penetrate his body armor, can penetrate the metal of his vehicle, and also the sides of houses and buildings in the area."
The cops' names have not been revealed and they have been placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure after a shooting.
The boy's father recalls advising his son to behave before leaving for work the day of the tragic incident. The mother, Sujey Annel Cruz Cazarez, is demanding answers for her boy's death.
Why did they kill him? Why?" the tearful mother said to The Press Democrat.
Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freitas vowed in his statement Wednesday that the investigation will 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 wrote, reports CBS San Francisco News. "This is a tragedy on many levels...for the terrible loss of Andy Lopez, his family, the family's loved ones, friends, our community and the members of the sheriff's office."
