Tempe Cop Shot, Killed 14-Year-Old; Video Shows Teen Running Away

TEMPE, AZ — Police in Tempe have released body camera footage that appears to show a police officer fatally shoot a 14-year-old boy who was running away. The officer, only identified as Jaen, had been called to the scene Tuesday near Baseline Road and 48th Street for a report of a suspicious gray Chevrolet pickup truck that had been involved in a burglary and was parked in an alley behind the home. Video released Friday shows the officer pull up to a gray Chevrolet pickup truck in his squad car and attempt to hide behind a nearby trash can.

The officer draws his gun and calls out to someone moving inside the passenger side of the truck.

"The officer saw a suspect holding a handgun and while the suspect was inside that truck, officer Jaen drew his service weapon," Police Chief Sylvia Moir said at a news conference.

The person takes off behind the truck and the officer gives chase.

The officer shouts "Let me see your hands!" as he runs. About four seconds later, with the teen still running, the officer fires two shots.

"9-9-8! 9-9-8! Shots fired! Shots fired! One subject running southbound through the alley," the officer radios. Shortly thereafter, the officer tells dispatchers the person has a handgun.

The boy, identified by family members as Antonio Arce, was shot once in the shoulder blades and fell at the end of the alley. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. Police later said the gun was a replica model 1911 airsoft gun that had been stolen out of the truck. The gun had an orange tip installed showing it was not lethal, the Arizona Republic reported. The suspect also had other stolen items on him.

The officer, a 17-year veteran, has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is ongoing. The officer was a member of the National Guard from 2007-13 and completed a combat deployment in 2011, Moir said.

Now, the teen's family and local activists are demanding justice. The boy's mother, Sandra Gonzalez, repeatedly shouted “I want justice! I need justice,” while holding a poster with her son’s photo.

The group Poder in Action called the slaying a "horrifying and heartbreaking murder of a child." They said they'll demand the officer be charged with murder.

"Murder charges will be one step towards justice for Antonio's family, but will not transform the culture of violence in the Valley's police departments," the group said in a statement to media outlets.

Meanwhile, the president of the police union said in a statement Friday it will withhold judgment on the matter until "all the facts are known."

"The Tempe Officers Association believes in and supports open, cooperative investigations into every police use of force incident — investigations based on facts and taking into account the difficult, demanding nature of police decision-making," the statement said.

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