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Officer Who Shot 13-Year-Old Feared Gunfight
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Records show the white Ohio police officer who fatally shot a black 13-year-old boy after a suspected robbery last year feared a gunfight with the teen.
Columbus police Officer Bryan Mason said in a formal statement and interview with detectives that he saw Tyre King pull a gun from his waistband.
Mason says in the statement obtained by The Associated Press through a records request that he fired when he saw a laser sight on the weapon, which turned out to be a BB gun.
Mason says he never considered the gun wasn’t real.
A grand jury in May declined to indict Mason in the fatal shooting.
The head of the police union representing Columbus officers said Thursday that Mason did everything according to policy.