Masked boy, 15, shot by officer after reaching for replica gun, Fresno police say

A Fresno police officer shot and wounded a 15-year-old boy who was masked and appeared to be reaching for a semiautomatic handgun Sunday morning, according to Chief Paco Balderrama.

The weapon turned out to be a replica of a Glock handgun similar to the one Balderrama said that he and his officers carry. Balderrama said the officer fired after the boy ignored repeated commands to get on his knees and keep his hands in the air.

It appeared the boy was hit twice, once in the arm and once in in the body. Balderrama said the boy was in critical but stable condition at a hospital.

The incident started at 10:32 am. near Blackstone and Magill avenues in North Fresno. Balderrama said the officer was about a block away from the shooting scene, watching a car being towed, when he was approached by someone who reported that there was a masked person nearby who was displaying a firearm.

The officer said he made contact with the suspect, who was wearing a ski mask, and ordered him at gunpoint to get on his knees and keep his hands raised. The chief said that after the officer issued the commands “multiple times,” the suspect reached for his waistband and displayed the firearm.

That’s when the officer fired, then called for paramedics and began to render first aid.

Balderrama said the firearm turned out to be either a replica or an airsoft pistol that was very similar in color and appearance to the Glocks that Fresno officers carry.

The chief said it appeared that the boy “will be OK,” but that it was a “very sad moment,” for the boy, his family, and the officer, a 28-year veteran.

“There are no winners here,” Balderrama said.

“Commands were given, and for whatever reason, the 15-year-old did not comply.”