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Deputy kills 15-year-old wielding a ‘bladed’ garden tool, officials say

Closeup of the shoulder of a uniformed person; the badge reads "San Bernardino County sheriff."
A deputy shot a 15-year-old involved in an altercation with family in Apple Valley, officials say.
(Christian Monterrosa / Associated Press)
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A 15-year-old Apple Valley youth wielding a garden tool was shot and killed Saturday by a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy, according to a statement from the department.

The statement said the boy, Ryan Gainer, “chased the deputy in an attempt to assault him with the bladed end” of a 5-foot-long garden tool.

The officer had confronted Gainer after being summoned by a 911 call on Saturday afternoon to a house in the 13400 block of Iroquois Road. The teen allegedly was assaulting family members.

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After being shot, “Gainer was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement released Sunday.

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Police body camera footage released to Victor Valley News Group shows a deputy approaching the open door of the family home when a youth charges out of the house, with a long object raised, toward the officer.

“Get back, get back or you’re going to get shot!” the deputy shouts as he moves quickly backward. The footage switches to that of a second officer that shows the officer retreating, one arm raised with his gun pointed at Gainer.

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The deputy who fired on the youth was not named.

The agency said the incident had been turned over to its specialized investigations unit.

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