(Image source: The Brownsville Herald)

BY EMILY SPAIN

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Texas police shot and killed a 15-year-old eighth-grader after he reportedly had what appeared to be a handgun at school. Turned out he actually had a pellet gun. So, did the police make the right call?
CNN has the story.

“The 15-year-old boy brought a weapon to school and started waving it in the hallway. A police statement says when the student engaged officers he was shot. No one else was hurt in the incident.”

Police say their shots were justified claiming the teen would not lower the gun.  Two officers fired three shots, including one that hit him in the back of the head.  But a writer for World Socialist Web Site thinks the police should have thought twice before shooting.

“Given that the subject was a schoolboy, the possibility that the alleged weapon was a toy—many of which closely resemble real firearms—should have been considered. Moreover, police are trained to avoid cross-fire, so the fact that the bullet entered the back of the boy’s head strongly suggests that he was not facing the officers, and therefore could not have been threatening them when he was shot.”

Others blame toy manufacturers for the police’s fatal decision. A writer for About.com argues if toy guns are going to be on store shelves they should clearly stand apart for the real ones.

“This tragedy is a good reminder that toy guns should be brightly colored so that they don't look like real guns. Many Airsoft pistols do indeed have a bright orange tip so that they won't be mistaken for a real gun, but it seems like many other air guns don't.”

The eighth-grader’s family is furious about police taking his life despite any argument.  His godmother said this to The Brownsville Herald.

“How can you shoot a 15-year-old? If he would of killed somebody, if he would of hurt somebody, then I would justify it, I would say he earned it, he deserved it whatever, but it was not right and then in the head? Why? That’s why he died. They didn’t give him a chance.”

The two officers who shot the teen have been suspended and police are currently investigating his death.  

Transcript by Newsy.