A 12-year-old boy died this morning after being shot by police in Cleveland who mistook his toy gun for an authentic one, authorities say.
NBC News reports that police responded to a call about someone with a gun pointing it at people at Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland yesterday afternoon. According to NBC News, the boy would not comply with orders to put his hands in the air. In a statement, Cleveland police said he was shot in the torso when he reached for his waistband.
According to WKYC, the boy was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where he underwent surgery, but succumbed to his injuries.
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Tamir Rice. This morning, the Associated Press released the 911 call which sent officers to Cudell Recereation Center. According to NBC News, the head of Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association said the officers were not told that the gun was likely a toy:
A man who called 911 told dispatchers the boy was on a swing set and pointing a pistol that was "probably fake" and scaring everyone — but officers weren't told the caller thought the gun might not be real, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association told The Associated Press.
