Columbus police kill 13-year-old boy carrying BB gun

Police in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday shot and killed a black 13-year-old boy who was carrying a BB gun, authorities said.

Officers responded to a report of an armed robbery of $10 in Columbus when they saw three male suspects matching descriptions given by the victim.

According to the police, Tyre King allegedly pulled the BB gun from his waistband, and an officer mistook it for a lethal firearm, shooting the boy multiple times. He later died in a Columbus children’s hospital.

The city’s mayor and police chief spoke to reporters on Thursday morning, promising a thorough investigation, the Guardian reported.

Police chief Kim Jacobs confirmed the basic police account of the shooting and said Tyre was carrying a gun that looked “practically identical” to the guns carried by Columbus police.

On Thursday, Mayor Andrew Ginther questioned why an eighth-grader would have a replica of a police firearm.

"There is something wrong in this country, and it is bringing its epidemic to our city streets," he said. "And a 13-year-old is dead in the city of Columbus because of our obsession with guns and violence."

According to a project by the Guardian, at least 34 people who were killed by police this year were carrying non-lethal firearms, such as pellet or toy guns, that authorities mistook for lethal weapons.