Daniel Enrique Perez, 16, died after being shot fatally by a police officer in South Los Angeles last weekend. The boy, who pointed at the police officers a replica of a handgun, was in the intent of killing himself, Charlie Beck, chief officer of Los Angeles Police Department, announced Thursday.
Before the horrible incident, operators of 911 received a call about a man with a gun in 4500 block of Ascot Avenue, according to DailyNews. The report also added that according to Beck, the caller is believed to be Perez as one of the victim's parents confirmed the voice of Daniel when the parent listened to the call. The police officers immediately responded after the 911 call.
After 20 minutes, a man similar to the description of the 911 caller was found by the police officers, the Las Vegas Sun has reported. The police approached the man but Perez turned at them and pointed a gun and was shot fatally, police said according to the report of Las Vegas Sun.
"Based on the actions of Daniel Perez, his call to 911, a farewell note left to his family, and some of his prior history as reported by his family, we believe this officer-involved shooting is a result of his desire to end his own life," Beck said at a press conference. This is according to a report posted in scpr.org.
A fake gun was recovered in the crime scene, as of the police chief in a report at abc7. The police chief also noted in the report that the orange tip of the fake gun, which indicates the gun is fake, has been painted black.
Meanwhile Chief police cleared the name of the officer who shot the boy. Media reports, asper the Huffingtonpost, have suspected the boy was killed while on the ground.
The police officers said that the camera footage attached in the body of the officer clearly supports the account of the officer about the whole incident. "We are deeply saddened by these events and my heart goes out to his family as well as to the officer involved in the shooting," Beck said to the Huffingtonpost.
