Andy Lopez, 13, shot by Sonoma County police as he carried toy gun

A 13-year-old boy from Santa Rosa, California was shot and killed by police on Tuesday after walking through a neighborhood carrying a replica rifle. 

Andy Lopez, was walking near an empty lot at the corner of Moorfield and West Robles Avenues at around 3 p.m., with a fake gun which belonged to his friend. Two Sonoma County sheriff's deputies were patrolling the area when they saw Lopez. Thinking the boy was carrying a real rifle, they stopped their car and got out. From the protection of their car doors, they yelled for Lopez to put his weapon down, according to a report in The Press Democrat.

Lopez's back was to the deputies and when he turned, the front of the rifle pointed at the law enforcement agents. One of the deputies opened fire, unloading several rounds. One witness reported hearing seven shots fired. 

After shooting Lopez, the deputies ordered him to move away from the weapon. They approached his unresponsive body and handcuffed him before administering first aid or calling for medical assistance, the Press Democrat reported. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The deputies claim that they did not realize Lopez was just a boy, nor that the weapon was only a replica. Lopez also had a toy pistol in his waistband which was discovered after the shooting. The deputies involved in the incident have been put on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such cases, according to reports. 

An investigation into the shooting has been launched and is being handled by the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Police departments.

DJ Williams beaten by San Francisco police for riding bicycle on sidewalk

San Francisco police have been accused of brutality after officers were caught on video hauling away 21-year-old D'Paris Charles 'DJ' Williams, screaming in pain, his face covered in blood, on Friday afternoon. His crime? Riding his bicycle on the sidewalk.

Both the police and Williams agree that Williams was indeed riding his bicycle on a sidewalk in the Valencia Gardens public housing complex in San Francisco's Mission District. Details of what happened next are not clear, however.

A friend of Williams told CBS San Francisco that undercover police officers stopped Williams, said something to him about riding on the sidewalk, then, apparently for no reason, grabbed him from behind and beat him. The same friend claimed others confirmed this story. 

Family of Williams believe Williams didn't even hear the police officers when they tried to stop him, as he was wearing earphones at the time. 

The police said Williams tried to flee into a residence after the undercover officers attempted to stop him for the minor traffic violation. He then resisted and became combative. The officers then used 'reasonable force' to detain him, according to police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy.

In any case, video of the arrest shows Williams being pinned to the sidewalk while being handcuffed, then carried away moaning, with a bloody face.

The situation did not stop there. Residents in the neighborhood came to the young man's defense. Several uniformed officers attempted to quell the conflict, and in the end three other men were subdued and taken away in handcuffs, according to what can be seen in the video. One of the men was shown with blood running down his face, and according to the CBS report, two police officers were also injured; one suffered a bite and another was hit with a cane.

The Williams' plan to file a complaint against the police department.

Police Brutality? Arizona cop appears to shoot unarmed, surrendering suspect [Video]

A video that surfaced last week is raising serious questions about the actions of an Arizona, Pinal County Sheriff Deputy. The video appears to show a police officer shooting an unarmed car thief, identified as Manuel Longoria, in the video, even though it appears he has already surrendered.

According to police, Longoria led cops on a 40-minute chase before finally being stopped by tire-puncturing devices. Arizona police cleared the officer involved in shooting Longoria, but video of that police standoff seems to contradict the cops' version of what happened that day.

The video, released on LiveLeak.com, shows the suspect turn his back on the officers before raising both hands into the air. The, just one second later, a single police officer fires two shots, killing Longoria.

One former Arizona Police Officer, Jess Torrez, viewed the video and offered an assessment. "You have multiple police officers on the scene and only one person makes the shot. That tells me that other officers at the scene did not feel there was justification to use deadly physical force. Officers are taught to look at the hands first and foremost. So if his hands are up in the air, he doesn't have anything in them. How do they justify using deadly force?" asked Torrez in comments posted on azcriminallawsexcrimes.com. 

Arizona's Pinal County Sheriff's Office says it investigated the shooting and found the officer's use of lethal force justified and the officer/shooter has returned to duty. After the video of the incident made the rounds on the Internet, however, many are questioning the official story.

The officer involved says he say Longoria make a move towards the car and the video does show the suspect turn slightly. But the film also shows Longoria with both hands clearly raised in surrender before the two shots are fired, making it hard for many to accept the shooting was justified. Police said they had fired tasers and beanbags at Longoria and he had allegedly been heard saying that he "wouldn't be taken alive." But no weapons were found in Longoria's car and the footage shows him with two hands in the air.

A justified shooting? A mistake? Or yet another trigger-happy cop? --You decide.