Fifteen-year-old Andre Green was fatally shot by Indianapolis police who said the teen was driving a stolen car and accelerated toward officers, causing them to open fire. The boy's father questions the cops' account and believes that lethal force wasn't needed.
According to the Associated Press, Kenneth Green has several questions about the officers' account of what took place Sunday night that left his son dead.
"He wasn't a threat. They said my son was armed, but I don't know about that. All I want to know is the truth, what happened to my son—if he was right or wrong," Green told AP.
"I have a lot of pain in my heart right now. I'm just looking for answers to my questions," he said.
Police officials say that earlier Sunday evening, prior to the shooting, Andre and two friends stole a car at gunpoint. Authorities say that police saw the car and gave chase. They followed the car down a dead-end street and say the two people with Andre fled. According to police, Andre had rammed a police car earlier during the pursuit. Police say that Andre was beginning to accelerate when three officers opened fire. Andre reportedly exited the vehicle holding a gun, one of which was found near his body.
"I wasn't there, obviously, but I have faith that these officers relied on their training in that instance to make a decision on the reasonable use of force, the level of force to use," Assistant Police Chief Lloyd Crowe told AP.
Andre's father told AP that he is under no illusion that his son was perfect. He knew that his son had pleaded guilty in March to stealing a car from a church, but he says that his boy was a "wonderful son."
"Just because he had a court record doesn't make him a bad person. Plenty of people make mistakes," he said.
Crowe told AP that he doesn't know how many shots the officers fired or how many times Andre was hit.
The officers involved in the shooting have all been placed on administrative leave while the department's internal-affairs unit investigates the shooting. Crowe stated that the investigation could take weeks and that the report would be "forwarded to prosecutors to determine if the officers acted appropriately or if any of them could face charges," AP reports.
"A lot of us have questions we want answers to, but they're just not available at this point," Crowe said. He added that the shooting is "a tragic, tragic event for everybody involved."
Read more at the Associated Press.