Cleveland Police Officer Shoots 12-Year-Old Boy Carrying Toy Gun


A Cleveland Police Officer has come under scrutiny after shooting a 12-year-old boy in the stomach on the afternoon of November 22. The boy is currently in serious condition after being shot once by the Cleveland Police officer, and it is all due to the boy carrying a toy gun.

Per Cleveland.com, the boy, whose name has not been released, was shot around 3:30 pm on Saturday afternoon.

The shooting happened at Cudell Rec Center which is located at 1910 West Boulevard.

All details regarding the shooting have not yet been released by the Cleveland Division of Police, and there has been no confirmation about what the child was carrying.

Well, that is if the child was carrying anything at all. Conflicting reports are coming through as to whether the child was armed at the time of the shooting involving him and the officer from the Cleveland Police Department.

RT.com states that the boy was indeed “armed,” but what the boy was carrying was an air gun “resembling” a real pistol.

Cleveland Police responded to a distress call on Saturday afternoon and it was about a male allegedly at the center and threatening people with a gun.

Upon arriving on the scene, Jeff Follmer, the Police Patrolman’s Association President, said that “the 12-year-old had a weapon.” A statement from the Cleveland Police Department says that officers arrived on the scene and advised him to drop the weapon and raise his hands.

“The suspect did not comply with the officers’ orders and reached to his waistband for the gun. Shots were fired and the suspect was struck in the torso,” per the statement.

After the boy was shot, a further inspection of the scene brought about the realization that the “weapon” was nothing more than a toy gun. The orange safety indicator at the end of the barrel had been removed and therefore made it look more like a real weapon.

“The young man had the weapon in his waistband. He pulled the weapon out. One of our officers fired two shots, striking the young man,” said Deputy Chief Ed Tomba with Cleveland Police.

The boy was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in critical condition and all that has been said now is that he is still in serious condition. One Cleveland Police Officer did receive an injury to his ankle somehow and was taken to a local medical facility for treatment.

Samaria Rice, the boy’s mother, still does not understand why her son was shot by the Cleveland Police. She states that any gun her son had in his possession had to come from friends or somewhere other than in their home.

[Image via Cory Shaffer/NEOMG]

Share this article: Cleveland Police Officer Shoots 12-Year-Old Boy Carrying Toy Gun
More from Inquisitr