Andy Lopez was spotted by cops in Sonoma County carrying what they believed was a rifle
They ordered him to drop his weapon and opened fire when he didn't comply
He was hit multiple times and died on the spot
Now a witness has now come forward to say that deputies continued to shot at the boy's body even after he had fallen to the ground
The cops claim Lopez had his back to them so they didn't realize that he was just 13 years old
Local residents in Santa Rosa, California, angered by the shooting carried out a March For Justice on Wednesday night
Federal law requires replica guns to have an orange tip, but Lopez's toy rifle didn't have one
An eighth-grade student who played trumpet in his school band, Lopez was described as a bright and popular student
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Lopez was spotted by deputies on Tuesday afternoon in Santa Rosa, California, carrying a toy rifle which they mistakenly thought was a real assault weapon.
Hundreds of local residents marched on Wednesday night to remember the popular teen and protest at the senseless shooting. They chanted 'We need justice' as they questioned how the deputies could mistake a pellet gun for an assault rifle.
Popular student: Andy Lopez, 13, was shot and
killed by police officers for carrying a replica assault weapon in Santa
Rosa, California, on Tuesday afternoon
Protesters walk towards the site where Andy
Lopez was shot and killed as part of a march to voice the local
community's anger at his death
But Ethan Oliver, who lives across the street, told KTVU.com that the deputies continued to shoot at the boy, even after he had fallen to the ground.
Oliver said he went outside after hearing two gun shots and by that time Lopez was already on the ground. ‘Then the cops went at it again and unloaded like six to seven shots,’ he said.
When asked if he meant that the deputy shot Lopez while he was on the ground, Oliver said, ‘Yeah. Exactly what I saw.’
Authorities haven't responded to his claims, but it raises the possibility that Lopez was still alive when he hit the ground after the first two shots were fired.
During a news conference on Wednesday authorities displayed a real assault weapon and the pellet gun - which resembled an AK-47 with a black magazine and brown butt - to demonstrate how difficult it is to tell them apart.
Sujey Lopez and her husband Rodrigo Lopez mourn
for their son by a memorial set up at the site where he was shot and
killed by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy
Neighbor Ethan Oliver, left, witnessed the
shooting and claims police continued to shot at the body of Andy Lopez,
right, even after he had fallen to the ground
Federal law requires replica guns to have an orange tip, but Lopez's toy rifle didn't have one.
Police also revealed that Lopez had his back to the deputies, so they didn't realize he was so young. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and shorts.
They claim Lopez was about 20 to 30 feet from them when he turned with the barrel of the gun pointing toward them and they opened fire because they feared for their lives.
‘The deputy then fired several rounds from his service weapon at the subject,’ said Santa Rosa Police Lt. Paul Henry, ‘striking him at least one time. The subject immediately fell to the ground.’
'The deputy's mindset was that he was fearful that he was going to be shot.'
Hundreds of people marched through the Santa Rosa neighborhood where Lopez was killed on Wednesday night to protest and demand justice.
'We don't know the reason why they killed him,' Katia Ontiveros, 18, told the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa. She said her brother was Andy's friend. 'They should know if a gun is real.'
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