A new report from the law firm representing the family of 13-year-old Tyre King has revealed a troubling discovery about the moments leading up to his death.
Police officers who were present for the fatal shooting claimed King was reaching for a weapon (later revealed to be a BB gun) when an officer opened fire on him, but a statement from the family’s attorney is causing the officers’ accounts to be called into question.
The Walton Brown Law Firm published a statement to their website early Monday morning that alleged a conflicting story to the one given by the officers. In addition to noting that the family was denied requests to see Tyre at the hospital on the last night of his life, the statement says they were also told they won’t be allowed to view the results of Tyre’s initial autopsy for six to eight weeks.
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A family-appointed medical examiner has since examined Tyre’s body and revealed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, collarbone area and torso.
“In search of answers, the family retained Francisco J. Diaz, MD, FCAP, who serves as a practicing medical examiner in the County of Wayne, Michigan, as a Consultant Forensic Pathologist,” the statement reads. “Dr. Diaz examined Tyre’s body in Columbus, Ohio on September 18, 2016. Dr. Diaz determined that Tyre King suffered three gunshot wounds with entrance paths on the left side of his body, any of which could be determined to have been the cause of death. Tyre suffered a gunshot wound of entrance on the left temple that passed left to right and slightly downward and exited through the right temple. The entrance wound was above the left ear and the exit wound was in front of the right ear. Tyre also suffered a gunshot wound to the left collarbone area. Lastly, he suffered a gunshot wound to the left flank. There is an exit wound on the right flank.”
The attorney’s statement also says the medical examiner found evidence suggesting that Tyre was likely shot while running away from police, which was not noted in police report details revealed to the public. The report goes on to provide specifics about the teen’s small stature, adding that he was just 5 feet and weighed less than 100 pounds at the time of his death.
“Dr. Diaz notes: “Based on the location and the direction of the wound paths it is more likely than not that Tyre King was in the process of running away from the shooter or shooters when he suffered all three gunshot wounds,” the statement continues. “Dr. Diaz describes Tyre as a “small-framed adolescent boy, standing 5’0” and weighing less than 100 lbs.”
It has also been confirmed that police arrested a suspect who was allegedly responsible for the robbery that led police to pursue King in the first place. Investigators says they are still looking for possible additional suspects in connection to the robbery, according to NBC4 Columbus.