A Los Angeles police officer who mistakenly shot a teenager last year after seeing a group of boys with a replica gun was justified in opening fire, even though the wounded teen hadn’t been holding the toy weapon, the L.A. Police Commission decided this week.
The Feb. 10 shooting generated calls for better training of LAPD officers and renewed concerns within law enforcement over the dangers of realistic-looking toy weapons.
Jamar Nicholson, then 15, and three of his friends were rapping and dancing in the alley that morning — part of their typical routine before school, they previously told The Times. One of Jamar’s friends was holding a toy gun.
Suddenly, the teenagers said, two men in dress shirts and ties ran toward them and started shooting.