COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A Columbus police officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy he was trying to detain following reports of an armed robbery, officials said. 
 
 Authorities identified the teenager as Tyre King, an 8th grader at Linden-McKinley STEM Academy. The Columbus Division of Police said in a statement that King “pulled a gun from his waistband” when officers attempted to take him and another male into custody Wednesday night. 
 
 This happened around 7:45pm near the corner of South 18th Street and East Capital Street. 
 
 Columbus police responded to the area after a robbery victim claimed a group of individuals had robbed him at gunpoint. Officers then spotted three males matching the description in front of 33 Hoffman Street and tried to talk to them. 
 
 Two of the males then ran away, and officers followed them to an alley behind 27 Hoffman Street. 
 
 “Officers followed the males to the alley … and attempted to take them into custody when one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband,” a police statement said. “One officer shot and struck the suspect multiple times.” 
 
 King was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. No one else was injured. 
 
 Crime Scene Search Unit detectives determined the teen was holding a BB gun with an attached laser sight. 
 
 “We are talking about a 13-year-old that we believe was involved in an armed robbery,” CPD Chief Kim Jacobs said during a news conference. “I know that some of the officers at the scene were very disturbed about the fact that here we are out at this time of the night chasing armed 13-year-olds.” 
 
 “We oughta be shocked and angry as a community. In the safest big city in America, we have a 13-year-old dead in our city. That’s unacceptable,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. “We as a community need to come to grips with the fact, with such easy access to guns, whether they’re firearms or replicas, there’s something wrong in this country and it’s bringing its epidemic to our city streets.” 
 
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 According to police, the officer who fired the shots is Brian Mason, a nine-year veteran of the force who just recently transferred to the zone where Wednesday night’s shooting happened. As with all police-involved shootings, the officers will receive “mandated psychological support counseling” and be given the opportunity to “take leave time to assist in recovery from a traumatic experience,” according to the Columbus Division of Police. 
 
 “I will not let an officer out on the street to perform their job if I don’t trust them to be capable of doing so,” Jacobs said. 
 
 King was last enrolled at Linden STEM Academy as an 8th grader. There are grief counselors at the school today. 
 
 In a statement released Thursday afternoon, King’s family said he was a typical 13-year-old child. He was active in football, soccer, hockey and gymnastics. They said the actions described by Columbus police are out of his normal character. 
 
 The family of King retained Walton + Brown, LLP, a Columbus based civil rights law firm to “ensure that the investigation into his tragic death is conducted in a manner that ensures fairness and truth.” 
 
 In a statement, attorney Chanda L. Brown said in a statement: 
 
 The family is obviously distraught by the murder of Tyre. Our preliminary research indicates that Tyre was a child who was loved and cherished by his family. The grief is worsened further by the fact that this death comes at the hands of a man who was sworn to protect the citizens of Columbus. We love our city and there are many positive things than can be said about the people that live here. However, the Columbus Police Department has a history of investigating itself following these officer involved shootings and we believe that these investigations are inherently biased. The best thing that the City of Columbus could do to ease the minds and fears of its citizens is to step aside and let an independent party investigate the matter. 
 
 Attorney Sean L. Walton continued: 
 
 The family of Tyre King asks for support from their community as they seek answers in this tragic killing. Please do not rush to judgment. We also have to remind everyone that the “facts” being discussed in the media are not facts at all. We do not know what he did or did not do. There are allegations that have been made regarding his actions, and those allegations cannot be taken as factual until a thorough, unbiased investigation has taken place. Please keep that in mind as we discuss the killing of this 13-year-old child. There are multiple witnesses that we have been made aware of that do not corroborate the current narrative. Please keep the family in your prayers and understand that until we have answers we must continue to call for transparency and accountability not only in all police involved killings, but especially in the case of this 13-year-old boy. 
 
 Police say the officers involved were not wearing body cameras. Last month, 30 Columbus cops began testing body-worn cameras and the department is expected to fully implement the devices by the end of the year. 
 
 “It is a technology we believe can really help continue to improve and increase safety here in Columbus, and that’s why it’s such a high priority for us,” said Mayor Ginther. “Our goal and our expectation is for those to start to be deployed by the beginning of next year.” 
 
 The shooting and robbery are still under investigation. Evidence will go to a grand jury who will ultimate decide if there will be criminal charges. 
 
 “A 13-year-old is dead in the city of Columbus because of our obsession with guns and violence,” Mayor Ginther added. “It is time for this city and this community to step up to make sure that our children and our neighborhoods are safe.” 
 
 Keep checking NBC4i.com for real-time updates on this story. To get alerts for breaking news, grab the free NBC4 News App for iPhone or Android. You can also sign up for email alerts. ||||| COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio responding to a report of an armed robbery shot and killed a 13-year-old boy who they said pulled a gun from his waistband that was later determined to be a BB gun. 
 
 It happened Wednesday night in Columbus. 
 
 Police said officers were responding to a report of an armed robbery involving multiple suspects. When they arrived on the scene, they said the victim told them that a group of people approached him and demanded money. The victim said that one of them had a gun. 
 
 Police said the officers saw three males matching the descriptions of the suspects and tried to speak with them, when two of the suspects fled on foot. 
 
 "Officers followed the males to the alley ... and attempted to take them into custody when one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband," police said in a statement early Thursday. "One officer shot and struck the suspect multiple times." 
 
 The suspect, later identified as 13-year-old Tyree King, was taken to a children's hospital, where he died. 
 
 The male with King was identified, interviewed and released pending further investigation. Police said additional suspects were being sought. 
 
 The officers and the other suspect were not injured. 
 
 Police said upon further investigation it was determined that King's gun was actually a BB gun with an attached laser sight. 
 
 Police said the incident is under investigation. ||||| Play Facebook 
 
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 Police in Columbus, Ohio, were investigating how a 13-year-old boy wanted for questioning Wednesday night in an armed robbery ended up fatally shot by an officer. 
 
 The child — later identified by Columbus police as Tyre King — had "pulled a gun from his waistband" when officers attempted to take him and another male into custody, the Columbus Division of Police said in a statement. As the encounter unfolded, an officer shot King "multiple times." 
 
 The weapon recovered from the scene was determined to be a BB gun with an attached laser sight, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs said at a news conference Thursday morning. She showed a replica image of that BB gun. 
 
 "Our officers carry a gun that looks practically identical to this weapon," said Jacobs, adding, "It turns out not to be a firearm, but as you can see, it looks like a firearm that can kill you." 
 
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 Embed Image Shown of BB Gun Similar to One Found at boy, 13, Shooting Scene 1:19 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog 
 
 Police were first called to a report of a group of people — including one armed with a gun — demanding money at 7:42 p.m. ET. 
 
 "This man just had a gun on this white dude on the street!" a caller told a 911 dispatcher, according to audio released by police. The caller said the armed robber was a "black boy in a hoodie" and "the guys just took off running," according to the audio. 
 
 A person on the call identified as the victim of the robbery said the alleged holdup was over $10. He said he was unhurt. He said the gun looked like a Ruger 1911-style handgun, according to the audio. 
 
 Officers arriving at the scene saw three people matching the suspects' descriptions around a block away. However, when they attempted to speak with them, two of the males ran away, police said in a statement. 
 
 "Officers followed the males to the alley ... and attempted to take them into custody when one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband," police added. "One officer shot and struck the suspect multiple times." 
 
 FATAL POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING:This is a replica of the 13yo suspects gun used in last night's armed robbery. #CPD pic.twitter.com/vKjlwYCKuY — Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) September 15, 2016 
 
 In the 911 audio, a caller tells dispatch: "There they are right there, running back through the alley! They're — oh! He's shooting them! Oh my God! Oh my God, they’re shooting!" 
 
 King was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. 
 
 No one else was injured. The other male suspect was interviewed and later released pending further inquiries. 
 
 Area resident Chris Naderer told The Columbus Dispatch he heard a gate in his backyard get knocked down and then saw police chasing two young men in an alley outside of his home. 
 
 "Heard gun shots, five, 10 seconds afterwards," Naderer also told NBC affiliate WCMH. 
 
 Police respond to the officer-involved shooting of 13-year-old Tyre King in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday. WCMH-TV 
 
 As with all police-involved shootings, the officers will receive "mandated psychological support counseling" and be given the opportunity to "take leave time to assist in recovery from a traumatic experience," according to Columbus police. 
 
 The officer who fired the shots was later identified as Bryan Mason, a nine-year veteran of the force who just recently transferred to the zone where the incident happened. He was being placed on paid administrative leave for about a week, said Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner. 
 
 Mason was previously involved in the fatal shooting of an armed man in 2012, reported the Dispatch. Police determined he acted within policy. 
 
 The family of the boy said in a statement that they want an independent investigation into the shooting. 
 
 "The Columbus Police Department has a history of investigating itself following these officer involved shootings and we believe that these investigations are inherently biased," attorney Chanda L. Brown said. "The best thing that the City of Columbus could do to ease the minds and fears of its citizens is to step aside and let an independent party investigate the matter." 
 
 13-year-old Tyre King, who police said was wanted for questioning in an armed robbery, ended up fatally shot by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio. Courtesy of Walton and Brown, LLP 
 
 Jacobs said investigators are expected to pass their review of the latest case onto a prosecutor and grand jury, which would determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against the officers involved. 
 
 It's unclear whether any surveillance or cellphone footage has been recovered showing the shooting. 
 
 Police also did not immediately say whether the officers involved were wearing body cameras. Last month, 30 Columbus cops began testing body-worn cameras and the department is expected to fully implement the devices by the end of the year, WCMH reported. 
 
 "You have to feel for the family in this and you also have to think about what the officer’s going through,” Weiner told reporters late Wednesday. "There’s no winners here." 
 
 King was last enrolled at Linden STEM Academy as an eighth grader, WCMH said. King’s family said in a statement released by their attorneys that “Tyre was a typical 13-year-old child. He was active in football, soccer, hockey, and gymnastics." 
 
 The city of Columbus has seen 13 police-involved shootings this year. Five ended with a civilian being fatally shot, and one resulted in the death of the officer. 
 
 The incident in Columbus comes almost two years after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot dead by a police officer in Cleveland. 
 
 Rice, a black sixth-grade student, was holding a pellet gun when the officer shot him within two seconds of arriving at the scene. 
 
 His death sparked protests over policing and racial bias. Last December, a grand jury chose not to indict the two officers involved. In April, the city of Cleveland agreed to pay $6 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by the Rice family. 
 
 Jacobs said it's too early to compare the shootings of King and Rice, although they both involve young black children carrying BB guns being fatally shot by white officers. 
 
 "We don’t have enough facts to know anything how this relates to any other shooting, including Tamir Rice’s," Jacobs said. "That’s why we do an investigation." 
 
 An attorney representing King’s family urged the public not to rush to judgment. "We do not know what he did or did not do. There are allegations that have been made regarding his actions, and those allegations cannot be taken as factual until a thorough, unbiased investigation has taken place," attorney Sean L. Walton said. 
 
 Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called for calm while the investigation continues, but he said the shooting raises concerns about access to weapons, including BB guns made to look like actual firearms. 
 
 "We as a community need to come to grips with the fact that with such easy access to guns — whether they're firearms or replicas — there’s something wrong with this country," Ginther said, "and it's bringing this epidemic to our city streets."
– A police officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy carrying a BB gun after he ran from officers in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, authorities say. Officers were investigating an armed robbery—in which the victim said a group of people, one of whom had a gun, had demanded money from him—when they saw three males matching the descriptions of the suspects about a block away, reports the AP. As officers approached them, two suspects took off running, police say. "Officers followed the males to the alley ... and attempted to take them into custody when one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband," police say. "One officer shot and struck the suspect multiple times." Tyree King, 13—whom police later determined was carrying a BB gun with an attached laser sight—was rushed to a children's hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:22pm, reports NBC News. WCMH identifies the officer who shot King as a nine-year veteran of the force who had just been transferred to the zone where the shooting occurred. No one else was injured. The male suspect with Tyree was interviewed by police and released. Officers say they are still looking for other robbery suspects.