Police in San Francisco shot and killed a man on Sunday who was wielding what they believed to a real gun, but actually turned out to be BB gun.
The New York Daily News reported that the department said the 32-year-old white male entered a restricted parking area outside of Mission police station and refused to leave when asked.
“They found this curious, they exited the car, went to approach him to tell him again, ‘Hey you can’t be here,’ and he went to his waistband where there was the butt of a gun and drew the weapon,” said San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. “Two sergeants fired, the suspect was hit three times.”
When authorities recovered the weapon, they concluded that it was a replica gun which fired pellets.
This is the second time since November that police shot and killed someone toting what they suspected was a real gun.
As previously reported, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by officers in Cleveland after a caller reported that he was at a playground brandishing a weapon.
In that case, law enforcement officials also said that they only learned the gun was fake after he was shot.
The two officers that fatally shot the man Sunday are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.