Tyre King. (Walton Brown Law Firm)
A new forensic pathologist’s report commissioned by the attorneys for Tyre King’s family says the 13-year-old Ohio boy “was in the process of running away from the shooter or shooters when he suffered all three gunshot wounds.”
The report, by Francisco J. Diaz, further describes King – who was shot and killed by a Columbus, Ohio police officer, as standing only 5 foot tall and weighing under 100 pounds with a small frame. Diaz, acting as a consultant for the King family in this case, is a medical examiner in Wayne County, Michigan.
Diaz also found that “Tyre suffered a gunshot wound of entrance on the left temple that passed left to right and slightly downward and exited through the right temple,” the report said, according to the law firm.
Columbus police released this photo to the news media, writing, “This is a replica of the gun used in last night’s armed robbery where the suspect was fatally shot by police.” (Facebook/Columbus police)
King was shot and killed on September 14 by Columbus Police Officer Bryan Mason, a 9-year veteran of the Columbus police force. Police said previously that they believe King was shot after pulling a BB gun he was carrying from his waistband. They said they believe he was fleeing an armed robbery scene at the time he was shot and released photos of a similar weapon to show how realistic it looked.
The chief said in a news conference at the time that police believe King “was involved in an armed robbery and we got a call on 911 saying that an armed robbery was being reported. Officers responded to the area, were dispatched, and once they arrived at that scene, they saw some people they believed matched the descriptions of the suspects.. a confrontation happened… one of our officers fired, and as a result of that, the young man succumbed to his injuries.”
The latest in the Tyre King case comes as outrage has erupted over the death of another man at the hands of police, Terence Crutcher, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
King’s family has hired the law firm of Walton Brown, which released a statement online describing Diaz’ report, which the law firm commissioned. The statement says, “Dr. Diaz determined that Tyre King suffered three gunshot wounds with entrance paths on the left side of his body, any of which could be determined to have been the cause of death. Tyre suffered a gunshot wound of entrance on the left temple that passed left to right and slightly downward and exited through the right temple. The entrance wound was above the left ear and the exit wound was in front of the right ear. Tyre also suffered a gunshot wound to the left collarbone area. Lastly, he suffered a gunshot wound to the left flank. There is an exit wound on the right flank.”
Dr. Diaz noted, according to the law firm’s statement: “Based on the location and the direction of the wound paths it is more likely than not that Tyre King was in the process of running away from the shooter or shooters when he suffered all three gunshot wounds.” Dr. Diaz describes Tyre as a “small-framed adolescent boy, standing 5’0” and weighing less than 100 lbs.”
Tyre King. (Walton Brown law firm)
Diaz was not available for comment, and the law firm attorneys have not responded to a request for the actual report. Columbus police have not yet returned a call seeking comment. The coroner’s office says that the official autopsy report and cause of death have not yet been completed.
A spokeswoman for the Columbus School District told Heavy that Tyre was in the 8th grade at Linden-McKinley Stem Academy. In an earlier statement posted online, attorneys hired by King’s family wrote that he was “a typical 13-year-old child. He was active in football, soccer, hockey and gymnastics. They are shocked and indicate the actions described by the police are out of his normal character.”
