A Baltimore police officer in plain clothes chased and shot a young African American boy because he thought the bb gun the boy was carrying was a semi-automatic pistol.
Two detectives were driving to their district station when they saw fourteen year old Dedric Colvin holding a basketball in one hand and a realistic-looking gun in the other.
They say the boy ran after they identified themselves. Once he stopped, an officer shot Colvin in the shoulder and leg. Critics are asking what threat was posed by walking with a bb gun. Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis says his officers didn’t have time to ponder whether the gun was real or not. "Police officers don't have to wait until they're being shot at to engage in a deadly force scenario."
The shooting is being reviewed by a special investigation response team that was created in the aftermath of Freddie Gray’s death last year.