On Saturday afternoon, a rookie police officer was called to a recreation center in Cleveland when a 911 caller reported that there was "a male with a gun" sitting outside the center. When the cop arrived, he shot a 12-year-old boy who reached for a BB gun when the officer told him to put his hands up, police said.

The 12-year-old boy had been sitting with his friends at a pavilion at the Cudell Recreation Center, Deputy Chief of Field Operations Ed Tomba told Cleveland.com. A concerned man watching from across the street called police to report the gun-wielding child, asserting on his 911 call that the gun was "probably fake" and that the "man" with the gun was "probably a juvenile." Responding officers allegedly were never relayed information about the 911 caller's doubt.

Via Cleveland.com:

The officer got out of the car and told the boy to put his hands up. The boy reached into his waistband, pulled out the gun and the rookie officer fired two shots, Tomba said.

Tomba said the child did not threaten the officer verbally or physically.

At least one of the shots hit the child in the stomach.

The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he was in critical condition until Sunday morning, when he died from the gunshot wound. The officer and his fifteen-year veteran partner who arrived at the scene with him were both put on administrative leave during the investigation.

[Image via Cleveland.com]