Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis defended the officers involved in the shooting of a 13-year-old boy this week, saying they did what the community expected them to do.
"We can't call 911. We are 911," Davis said during a press conference Thursday.
Davis said the boy was a holding a replica handgun when he was shot by police Wednesday afternoon. He said it appeared to be a replica of a semi-automatic pistol.
"The greater conversation is, what is a 13-year-old doing with one of these in his hand?" Davis said.
Police laid out for the media both a semi-automatic pistol and a replica gun to show the similarities between the two.
"It's not a good idea, in Baltimore, to walk out of the house with either of these things in your hand," Davis said.
RELATED: 13-year-old shot in officer-involved shooting
The teen was shot twice, in the leg and in the shoulder. The officers involved were an officer with six years on the force and one with 12 years, Davis said. The officer with a dozen years' experience was the one who fired the shots at the teenager.
He is expected to survive.
The shooting happened exactly a year after riots broke out in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.
"To have this occur one year later, certainly has garnered attention," Davis said.
Download the ABC2 News app for the iPhone, Kindle and Android.
