California deputy who shot teen with BB gun returns to work
December 9, 2013
The Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Santa Rosa teen carrying a BB gun in October will return to work this week. [NBC Bay Area]
Deputy Erick Gelhaus shot Andy Lopez, 13, seven times in a Santa Rosa field on October 22. Lopez was carrying a replica AK-47 BB gun at the time.
Gelhaus mistook the replica gun for a real AK-47, according to the deputy’s attorney.
Gelhaus has been on leave since the shooting, but he will report to desk duty this week.
An FBI investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and Lopez’s family has filed a civil rights lawsuit.
A protest at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department is scheduled for Tuesday.
Since the shooting, a group of legislators has called for banning certain toy guns.
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