SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Sonoma County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a 13-year-old boy Tuesday who was carrying what turned out to be a fake rifle in Santa Rosa, authorities and acquaintances of the boy said.
Andy Lopez died at the scene of the shooting near Moorland and West Robles avenues after being shot while carrying toy gun that belonged to a friend, friends said Wednesday.
The incident began about 3 p.m. when two deputies on patrol saw a "male subject" walking in the area with what appeared to be a rifle, said sheriff's Lt. Dennis O'Leary.
The deputies called for backup and ordered him to drop the rifle, O'Leary said.
"At some point immediately thereafter, the deputies fired several rounds from their handguns at the subject, striking him several times," O'Leary said.
He fell to the ground and "landed on top of the rifle he was carrying," O'Leary said.
Deputies told him to move away from the rifle and handcuffed him, O'Leary said.
The deputies called for paramedics after determining that he was unresponsive, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies determined that the rifle was a "replica of an assault weapon" and that he also had a plastic handgun in his waistband, O'Leary said.
The deputies were placed on administrative leave, which is routine procedure, pending investigations by police and the Sonoma County district attorney's office. Their names were not released.
The incident was the third fatal officer-involved shooting in the Bay Area in less than 24 hours.
On Monday night, Union City police shot and killed a parolee armed with a pipe. Early Tuesday, a San Bruno officer shot and killed a stolen-car suspect who had aimed the vehicle at him, authorities said.
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service
