A 12-year-old boy, who was playing with an air gun when he was shot by Cleveland police officers Saturday, has died.
World News reported that the victim, identified as Tamir Rice by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, was shot by police after they mistook his "airsoft"-type replica gun for a real gun.
Authorities responded to a 911 call around 3:30 p.m. about a juvenile scaring people in a playground with what was likely a fake gun.
The police department said that when arriving officers got to the scene they asked Rice to put his hands up. The boy instead reached for his waistband and officers shot him.
He was transported to a local hospital where he died Sunday.
Law enforcement officials said they only learned that the gun was fake after Rice was shot.
An attorney for Rice’s family, however, told WKYC that "Apparently, listening to the 911 call… the caller halfway across the park recognized that this was a toy gun. I'm not sure how police weren't able to make that same decision.
"We're going to conduct our own parallel investigation. I understand what police are putting out there, I cannot confirm or deny those facts. The family is absolutely is devastated. He was a wonderful young man.”