On the one-year anniversary of the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore police came close to reigniting the city in protests. On April 27, Dedric Colvin,14, was outside playing with his Daisy brand PowerLine Model 340 spring-air pistol BB gun. Two plainclothes detectives assigned to the Baltimore Police Department intelligence unit spotted the boy while driving in the area. According to Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, the officers identified themselves as police and told the boy to stop, instead he ran. Police gave chase for about 150 yards before one of the officers shot Dedric, striking him in the shoulder and leg.
Dedric’s older brother ran to their nearby home and told his mother what happened. She went to the street and saw her soon lying in a pool of blood near a basketball court. When she asked to see her son as he was being transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, police handcuffed her and took her into custody for questioning. Young stated to police that she knew her son had a BB gun and was released after a couple of hours to go to her son’s bedside.
Davis defended the actions of his officers stating: “They got out of their car and they engaged a person who had what looked like a gun in his hand, he said. ”I mean, come on. That’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s what cops do. When he ran — and the foot chase was a good 150 or so yards, he rounded a corner, kept running — he had every opportunity to drop the gun, had every opportunity to stop, put his hands in the air, comply with the instructions of the police officers.”
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. The incident bought to mind the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. He was also playing with a toy gun when he was shot and killed by police.
