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Grand Jury Won’t Indict Officer in Killing of Boy, 13, Who Held BB Gun - The New York Times

posted onMay 20, 2017
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Article snippet: A grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, declined on Friday to indict a white police officer who fatally shot a 13-year-old black boy who was brandishing a BB gun, finding that the officer’s actions were justified, city officials and the police said. The officer, Bryan Mason, had chased Tyre King into an alley on Sept. 14 and when the teenager pulled the BB gun from his waistband, the officer opened fire, striking Tyre multiple times, the authorities said. Mr. Mason, a nine-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department at the time, had fatally shot a man in 2012; his superiors cleared him of any wrongdoing in that episode, but placed him on administrative leave after the September killing. The shooting quickly polarized the public, as people rallied behind either the officer or the boy. Officials in state’s capital found themselves pleading for patience, acutely aware of the unrest that has sometimes followed police shootings that have claimed the lives of black men. Some had drawn parallels between the shooting of Tyre and the 2014 shooting death of Tamir Rice, 12, who was playing with a pellet gun in a park in Cleveland. “I am grateful for the patience of the community in awaiting the results of the grand jury investigation into the police-involved shooting of Tyre King,” Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a statement on Friday. “The death of a 13-year-old under any circumstances is tragic. I am committed to continuing to work with all residents and the police to break th... Link to the full article to read more

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