SANTA ROSA (AP) — A 13-year-old boy was fatally wounded by a California sheriff's deputy before a second officer was able to get out of a patrol vehicle and take cover, investigators said, bolstering accounts of just how quickly the shooting occurred. The trainee remained behind the wheel of the cruiser Oct. 22 while Deputy Erick Gelhaus confronted Andy Lopez, who was carrying a pellet gun that resembled an assault rifle, Santa Rosa police Lt. Paul Henry told the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa in a story Tuesday. In a matter of seconds, Gelhaus ordered the boy to drop the weapon then opened fire before the trainee could take cover behind an open door of the car, Henry said.
Deputy shot boy before partner left car