Police: Officer Killed Teen Who Said He'd Open Fire

A tense standoff in Colorado ended with police fatally shooting an unarmed teenager who had called 911 and threatened to fire at officers, authorities said Thursday night. The young caller, thought to be about 17, said that he would open fire inside a business in Aurora and warned that he'd shoot any officers who responded, NBC News reports. Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the caller claimed to have a gun in his waistband, per KMGH.

According to Chamberlain's account, officers arrived at a gas station Thursday evening and instructed the teenager to show his hands. When he did not, officers used rubber projectiles in an attempt to subdue him, but they said the suspect continued advancing. Eventually, as the teenager charged, one of three officers fired, said Chamberlain, striking and killing him. No weapon was found at the scene, Chamberlain told reporters.

The officer who pulled the trigger has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by an outside agency. "The facts," Chamberlain said, per KMGH, "are still unfolding." He emphasized that the responding officers' first priority was to protect potential victims. The confrontation took place a short distance from the Aurora movie theater where 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in 2012.