Tyre King Update: Police Arrest Demetrius Braxton, Robbery Suspect Who Ran With Boy Before Police Shot And Killed Him

The Ohio police said that on Saturday, they had apprehended the second suspect who had fled with 13-year-old Tyre King before he was fatally shot by the police. The police had been seeking information for a report involving an armed robbery when they say King pulled a BB gun out. The officer responded with fatal shots because the boy’s BB gun was “practically identical” to a real firearm.

It has been reported that 19-year-old Demetrius Braxton has been identified as the friend of Tyre King who had been with him when he allegedly ran from police. Braxton is said to have confirmed the police officer’s tale that the 13-year-old who was shot and killed did indeed have a BB gun that looked like a real weapon. According to the friend of the deceased boy, Tyre actually wanted to use his toy gun to try and rob people to get some money.

The community maintains that Tyre was a normal young boy though and would not have been involved in anything requiring him to run from the police. The family’s loss has weighed heavy on the entire community, and across many social media platforms, outrage and sympathy make strong waves. Many are saying that even if the boy had been running, it is no excuse for the officer to have shot him multiple times.

The Washington Post says that after Braxton was interviewed by the police, he was initially released with no charges against him. However, on Saturday afternoon, close to the Ohio State University campus, the Columbus police officially arrested the teenager on a robbery charge.

The police are still investigating the shooting as well as seeking information about the other persons who may have been with Braxton at the time of the robbery that was committed. Those who witnessed the robbery say that it is a group of about seven or eight persons who robbed a man at gunpoint on Wednesday night east of downtown Columbus. The man is said to only have been robbed of $10.

In the search for suspects, investigators say that they spotted several young men who matched the description of those involved in the alleged armed robbery. When the police attempted to speak to them, they started running away and were pursued. King was shot several times and later died at Nationwide Children’s Hospital at 8:22 p.m on Wednesday.

#TyreKing was shot and killed by a cop in Ohio.

His community says it's time to change "this social norm of death." pic.twitter.com/JGnFKqdKMX

— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 16, 2016

There were parts of Demetrius Braxton’s story that did not line up with the way the police were saying that Officer Bryan Mason shot and killed young Tyre King. While Mason stated that he shot at the 13-year-old after he looked to be pulling a gun, Braxton says that the police had ordered him and the other boy to get down after they had run off. They both got down, he said, but soon Tyre had jumped up and ran, and it was then that he was shot.

NBC 4 reported that after the police arrested Demetrius Braxton, he had been charged with one count of robbery, a second-degree felony.

.@ColumbusPolice arrested Demetrius Braxton, 19, on charges related to incident that led to the death of #TyreKing pic.twitter.com/gc2ub4RIUt

— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) September 17, 2016

The police gave a full press release on Braxton’s arrest, saying that any further information on the case would be welcomed.

“Investigators continue to work tips regarding the initial robbery and have charged an individual in the robbery leading up to the police shooting. Demetrius Emanuel Lee Braxton, M/B/19, is charged with one count of Robbery, a felony of the second degree. Braxton was arrested today near Lane Avenue and State Route 315 at approximately 3:30 pm.”

The other persons who are suspected to have been involved in the robbery are still being sought by the police. Investigators are actively seeking persons who were with Demetrius Braxton at the time that the robbery occurred. It is the belief of the investigators that those individuals may possess information which would help piece together the events that occurred before Tyre King was shot. Anyone with information is being asked to contact homicide investigators at 614-645-4624.

[Featured Image by Columbus Police Department]