Private review finds boy was shot 3 times

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

The 13-year-old boy fatally shot by Columbus police last week was struck three times, according to findings by a medical examiner hired by the teen’s family to evaluate the body.

Police have said Tyre King was shot multiple times after he ran from an officer investigating a reported armed robbery and pulled out a BB gun that looked like a real firearm. The official findings of the county coroner have yet to be released.

Dr. Francisco Diaz, a medical examiner from Michigan, conducted the two-hour review of Tyre’s body on Sunday on behalf of the boy’s family.

Diaz said he did not conduct an autopsy, but was hired to do an independent review of the gunshot wounds.

“I just evaluated, took measurements and made notations as to the characteristics of the wounds,” Diaz told The Associated Press. Diaz, a medical examiner in Michigan’s Wayne County and forensic pathologist at the University of Michigan, determined Tyre was shot three times.

Police cannot comment on Diaz’s examination pending the release of the official coroner’s report, said police spokesman, Sgt. Rich Weiner. The investigation is ongoing.

The coroner in Franklin County, home to Columbus, has said Tyre’s autopsy was complete, but she has not yet released details, including where he was shot. Dr. Anahi Ortiz did not immediately respond to an email request for comment about Diaz’s findings.

Also on Monday, more than 100 demonstrators gathered outside Columbus City Hall to call for an independent investigation into the shooting and urge police to spend more on violence-prevention programs.

“I can only hope and wish that they take the time to understand that our children cannot keep dying, at the hands of anyone – whether it’s police [or] regular street violence. Something has to be done,” said Stacey Little, a 31-year-old Columbus resident and a member of the group People’s Justice Project.

Tyre’s relatives also want an independent investigation.

“We appreciate the support in the quest to find the truth here,” family attorney Sean Walton said of the demonstration.

Authorities say the police investigation will be presented for a grand jury to decide whether charges are merited against Bryan Mason, the officer who shot the teenager. The head of the local police union says Mason did what he had to do in that situation.