Police officers in a North Carolina city wrongly detained a 15-year-old boy with their guns drawn. Now, the city's police chief is apologizing for the incident.
The encounter happened Aug. 21 after officers responded to other 鈥渨eapons-related calls鈥� at the same apartment building where the incident happened, Durham Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis said in a posted on the police department's Facebook page Sunday.
They went to the Durham building again after they got another call about a 鈥渟uspicious person鈥� with a gun and drugs, according to Davis.
鈥淯pon their arrival, Durham police officers believed an individual behind the building was the suspect,鈥� Davis said in the statement. 鈥淚t was not until the young man was detained that officers realized he was not the suspect, but rather, a 15-year-old resident.鈥�
Officers who had their weapons initially drawn due to the 鈥渘ature of the call鈥� holstered them when they realized the teen was not the suspect, she said. 鈥淩egrettably, an 8-year-old had witnessed the incident,鈥� Davis added.
The police chief said she met with the boy's family following the incident, and understands the 鈥渃urrent climate of adverse encounters by police in communities of color.鈥� She did not give the races of those involved.
An internal investigation is ongoing.
