A 13-year-old boy was shot by police as he walked near his home in a quiet Sonoma County neighborhood near Santa Rosa, California for carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle.
The 13-year-old boy Andy Lopez was shot as he was on his way to a friend's house to return the toy rifle to him on Tuesday afternoon, according to CBS News. Two Sonoma County deputies saw the boy walking with the replica weapon at about 3 p.m. Lt. Dennis O'Leary says they repeatedly ordered him to drop what appeared to be a rifle before firing several rounds.
A preliminary autopsy report released Thursday said Andy Lopez was shot seven times, and the two fatal wounds were in his right hip and the right side of his chest.
In response to the shooting of the 13-year-old boy, hundreds of people marched more than 3 miles from Santa Rosa City Hall to the field where Andy Lopez was killed. Some lit candles and placed flowers at a makeshift memorial with printed pictures of the victim, stuffed animals and a balloon that read "RIP Andy L."
"We need justice, we need justice," chanted the hundreds of people who attended a vigil Wednesday night, and are among those who have been signing into a "Justice for Andy" Facebook page.
"This ain't right," Ethan Oliver said. "There has to be another way, other than excessive force."
"It's very tragic and sad. It just happened so quick," said Noel Nunez, 15, a sophomore at nearby Elsie Allen High School, according to the Associated Press. Still, he said deputies should have been able to tell the difference between a real gun and a replica weapon.
