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Police in California Fatally Shoot 15-Year-Old Black Teenager with Autism

HeadlineMar 12, 2024

In California, a 15-year-old Black teenager with autism was shot dead Saturday at his home by a sheriff’s deputy. The teenager, Ryan Gainer, was reportedly holding a gardening tool when he was fatally shot by a deputy from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Officers had come to his home after receiving reports of a domestic incident. Attorney DeWitt Lacy said, “There are great questions as to whether it was appropriate to use deadly force against a 15-year-old autistic kid who was having an episode. We need to see the video and the moment of the shooting … but it doesn’t seem like anyone was in imminent danger of death or great bodily injury.”

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