Cleveland police shot and wounded a 12-year-old boy outside a recreation center on Saturday after he reached into his waistband for what turned out to be an airsoft gun, according to KTLA sister station WJW.
Two officers responded to the Cuddell Recreation Center around 3:30 p.m. to a report that a male was waving a pistol and pointing it at people, Cleveland police told the television station.
The gun was described by one caller as being “probably…fake,” according to a 911 recording obtained by WJW.
After locating the boy, the officers ordered him to raise his hands. The boy failed to comply, reached into his waistband and grabbed what police thought was a firearm, the station reported. At that point, at least one of the officers opened fire, striking the 12-year-old in the torso.
Police later said the gun was “an airsoft type replica gun resembling a semi-automatic pistol” that had its orange safety indicator removed.
The boy was rushed to a local hospital and underwent surgery Saturday evening. He was last reported to be in stable condition.
One of the officers was treated at a hospital for an ankle injury.
Police haven’t released the names of the officers involved in the incident. Both would be placed on administrative leave while the shooting was being investigated, according to the station, noting that was the department’s standard protocol for all officer-involved shootings.