13 May, 2017
A 15-year-old who was shot dead by the police after he called 911 on himself and pointed a BB gun at the responding officers left behind a suicide note, police said.
Police say the boy called 911 to ask officers to check on the welfare of a boy in front of the school.
"Fearing for their safety, both officers fired their weapons at the male striking him numerous times, " Acting Homicide Lt. Mike Holded said, as cited by CBS8.
Both officers fired, hitting him several times. The male was transported by paramedics to Scripps La Jolla Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Police later identified the handgun used by the teenager as a "semi-automatic BB air pistol". It was not known how the student got to the school, although police said he didn't appear to have driven himself there.
Olga Espinoza, the mother of three boys, said she was so disturbed by the shooting, she drove from San Ysidro to speak out against it.
Both officers drew their service weapons while repeatedly ordering the teenager to drop his weapon.
Officers who end up killing a bank robber or a carjacker or "a righteous bad guy" feel like they are protecting society, he said.
Dill added that the district will strive to maintain the daily routine while offering support to people.
"Everyone's in shock and everyone's surprised", Torrey Pines junior Hayder Alamar told KNSD.
The shooting occurred just hours before an unknown number of students arrived at the school to take SATs, tests used for college admissions.
It was about 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning - an unusual time for someone to be at the school, located in a wealthy San Diego community a few miles from the scenic Pacific coastline and world-famous Torrey Pines Golf Course. SDPD identified the two officers as a 28-year veteran and a four-year veteran.
Looking at the police account, Klinger said the officers involved showed remarkable restraint by giving the boy multiple warnings and holding off on firing until he was advancing. "This is a hard time for the family and we need to let them mourn".
A makeshift memorial commemorated the loss with cards and flowers at the shooting site, and some students wore yellow to their classes as a means of promoting suicide awareness.
It was not until after the shooting and performing first aid that the San Diego police officers realized the 15-year-old student had been pointing only a BB gun at them.
