Sheriff’s deputies in northern California shot and killed a 13-year-old boy Tuesday who reportedly was carrying a replica assault rifle, sparking outrage and protests from members of the community.
Deputies with the Sonoma County sheriff’s department were patrolling in the city of Santa Rosa when they spotted 13-year-old Andy Lopez carrying a replica Kalashnikov assault rifle. The officers say the boy wouldn’t drop the gun, a local NBC affiliate reports, and one of them fired several shots. A photograph released by the sheriff’s department shows the replica rifle, which did not have an orange tip at the end of the barrel often seen in toy guns.
The shooting ignited outrage in the community in the Sonoma Valley north of San Francisco, and residents held a protest Wednesday night.