Posted: 8:05 a.m. Thursday, April 4, 2013
Oakland police mistakenly shoot teen on downtown street
OAKLAND, Calif. —
A teenager was mistakenly shot by police who were investigating an armed robbery call in downtown Oakland, the police chief confirmed on Thursday.
Officers responded to a report of a robbery at knifepoint in the 1000 block of Clay Street at about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, according to Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan.
The suspects were described by witnesses as male blacks 22 to 26 years old, riding bicycles with one wearing a black hoodie. A second call came into police from another alleged witness who claimed to be following the three suspects on Clay.
The witness told police that one of the suspects had a stripped hoodie on and then pointed out the three to an arriving officer. An officer then called dispatch to say the three were running from the scene.
The female officer stopped three teens in the 1000 block of Jefferson Street, near Lafayette Square in downtown Oakland and held them at gunpoint.
One of the officers arriving to the scene, discharged his firearm, shooting the 16-year-old in the face.
“According to the officer’s statement, he perceived a threat from one of the individuals and fired a single round in his direction,” Jordan said.
The teen was taken to a local hospital, treated and released. The two other teens were taken into custody and later released when it was determine they had nothing to do with the armed robbery, Jordan told reporters.
“Following a preliminary investigation we determine the young man injured and his two companions were not responsible for the robbery,” Jordan told reporters. “They were uninvolved. They are juveniles aged 15 to 16. “
In an exclusive interview with KTVU, the young victim said he was just hanging out with friends near downtown.
”We were just hanging out, doing what kids do,” the teenager told KTVU. “We were just play-boxing and talking to girls and stuff…We were about to go home… We were walking and the next thing you know there were a lot of cops right in our way. “
“The girl cop got out (of her car) and said ‘freeze’ so we put our hands up,” he continued. “I had my hands up…Then more cops were coming…A guy (another officer) came up real fast and told me to get on the ground. Before I could even get on the ground…he shot me in my face and he was still pointing his gun at me…That’s when I panicked and fell on the ground bleeding and stuff."
“I was shocked I had gotten shot…He aimed right at my head like he wanted to kill me.”
Jordan declined to release the name of the officer who shot the teenager but said he is a veteran of the force who has worked for the Oakland Police Department for 15 to 20 years.
Jordan said it was appropriate for the officers who responded to the scene to approach the three young males who had been pointed out by the witness, but it he said the question of whether it was appropriate for the officer to shoot the teenager "will be determined later."
The officer has been put on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
The three suspects who were allegedly involved in the armed robbery near Le Cheval are still at large, Jordan said.
Jordan said the Oakland Police Department's Major Crimes Unit and Internal Affairs Division have started independent investigations into the officer-involved shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Oakland police at (510) 238-3821. |
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