Police shot a 15-year-old boy to death Tuesday night after he pulled a pistol from his waist band while running from an officer at a South San Francisco gas station, police said.

As the boy, Derrick Gaines, ran in the parking lot of the Arco station at the corner of Westborough and Gellert boulevards, an officer fired once, striking him. Gaines was later pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.

South San Francisco police Capt. Mike Brosnan said the officer, who was not named, opened fire because he feared for his life. However, Gaines' family said the shooting could have been avoided.
The trouble started about 9 p.m. when an officer on patrol spotted Gaines and another teen walking near the gas station, Brosnan said during a news briefing late Wednesday morning. The officer decided the teens were suspicious and got out of his car to talk to them. Brosnan declined to say what was suspicious about the boys.

One teen complied with the officer's order to stop, while Gaines took off running, Brosnan said. The officer gave chase and then opened fire after Gaines allegedly drew a hand gun from under his clothing. Police said they found Gaines' pistol, which they declined to name a make or model of, at the scene and that it had not been fired. No police officers were hurt.

"When we are faced with a deadly force situation, that's precipitated by suspect action," said Brosnan. "It's tragic but it's the result of behavior that's outside of our doing."
Police didn't arrest the other teen and the officer has been place on routine administrative leave.
The boy's parents questioned whether it was necessary for police to shoot his son.

"Derrick mattered and he was loved," said his mother, Rachel Guido-Red, 40, at a gathering of about 80 friends at the service station. "He didn't have to die just because he was black in South San Francisco."

At a growing memorial of candles and stuffed animals, Gaines' friends cried and hugged during a late afternoon gathering.

Earlier in the afternoon, Gaines father, also named Derrick Gaines, said police "are supposed to protect and serve, not shoot. Anybody can get spooked and run."

The father said he wants to see the report in order to judge the facts for himself. In the meantime, the loss of his child is just beginning to hit him.

"I'm in mourning, we're all in mourning," said Gaines.

The shooting happened quickly and left residents and workers in the area feeling off balance. Oliver Chin, who owns the Arco station, said his business has stood on the corner for 24 years and has never been robbed. He feels safe in the area and considered the violence an aberration.

"Yeah, I don't feel good," the 57-year-old Burlingame man added. "He's such a young kid; it's really tragic."

While the last fatal officer-involved shooting was in 1981, authorities said, and the most recent police shooting was about four years ago, several young people have been left dead by gun violence in recent years. One of the most striking incidents was the unsolved shooting death of 14-year-old Joseph Maharaj in September 2011. The boy, who police do not believe had any gang ties, was gunned down as he sat in front of a house with a friend.

"The statistics are on the rise of young suspects carrying weapons," said Brosnan.

Gaines' shooting is being investigated by the San Mateo County District Attorneys Office.