A police officer murdered a teenage boy and will not be prosecuted. According to KTVU News in Santa Rosa, California, Deputy Erik Gelhaus shot 13-year-old Andy Lopez, who was holding a toy gun.
Lopez was walking home from school, wearing a hoodie and holding a BB gun. Police drove up to Lopez and ordered him to drop the gun. When Lopez turned around to see who was behind him, Gelhaus shot the boy.
The deputies handcuffed the boy while he was on the ground and he eventually died from the gunshot wounds.
Prosecutors reviewed the case and determined that the officer feared for his life. However, a witness to the shooting believed the police should have been able to determine if the gun was real or a toy.
Protesters have marched in the city to bring more attention to Lopez’s death.
