- Harrowing bodycam footage shows the moment Ryan Gainer, 15, leaves his Apple Valley in San Bernardino County on Saturday
An autistic boy was shot dead by police in California after he ran toward them with a bladed gardening tool, according to officials.
Harrowing bodycam footage shows the moment Ryan Gainer, 15, left his Apple Valley in San Bernardino County on Saturday and ran toward officers.
A deputy is heard saying, “Hey, come back! “Go back or you’ll be shot,” before opening fire.
Police responded to his home after a 911 call reported the teen attacking family members and damaging property, as reported by KTLA.
According to an official report, Gainer attacked the officers with the five-foot garden tools as soon as they arrived.
Harrowing bodycam footage shows the moment Ryan Gainer, 15, leaves his Apple Valley in San Bernardino County on Saturday
A deputy is heard saying, “Hey, come back! “Go back or you’ll be shot,” before opening fire
A deputy said he tried to get away but opened fire after the teen chased him.
“Without provocation, Gainer raised the end of the tool and ran toward the deputy,” the statement said.
“The deputy retreated and Gainer chased the deputy in an attempt to attack him with the sharp end of the tool.”
Officers provided medical aid until paramedics arrived, but the teen was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
No officers were injured in the incident, which is being investigated by the police’s specialist investigation unit.
During the 911 call, Gainer’s sister reported that he attacked one of their siblings and attempted to break a window and a door.
According to him, he can be heard in the background of the conversation The guard.
She tells the dispatcher, “They have to take him in.”
At one point during the five-minute conversation, she said, “He’s talking to my dad right now. He said he was going to run away and then came back home.”
She also said he had a piece of glass.
An attorney for the family said Gainer was a cross-country skier and wanted to become an engineer.
DeWitt Lacy, a civil rights attorney representing the family, said, “There are major questions about whether it was appropriate to use deadly force against a 15-year-old autistic child who was having an episode.”
Ryan Gainer is seen in an undated photo
Lacy claimed it appeared Gainer was hit by three bullets, including in the torso and abdomen.
The family claims officers delayed helping Gainer after he was shot.
Lacy said, “They need to get medical attention to this 15-year-old they just shot and it sure looks like they didn’t.”
The family claimed that after the shooting, they were forced to leave their home while police “searched their home for any justification for shooting and killing Ryan.”
In a statement, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said, “Our social safety net for people with mental illness needs to be strengthened.
‘Our officers handle seemingly insurmountable calls every day. Most of these calls do not end in violence. However, it ended in tragedy for Ryan, his family and for the deputies who responded.
‘Violent encounters, which develop rapidly, are among the most difficult and require split-second decisions. While these decisions are lawful, they are terrible in terms of our humanity. “I sympathize with Ryan’s family and my deputies who will struggle with this for the rest of their lives.”