Police shot and killed a Massachusetts man who was carrying a pellet gun on Sunday night.
Officers in Spencer, Massachusetts were responding to a domestic violence report on Sunday around 8 p.m.
Police were attempting to stop a car driven by a man they believed to have been involved in that domestic violence incident, the department said in its official Facebook page, when the driver returned back to the house where the complaint was made.
The man then got out of his car and “pointed what the officer thought was a firearm in his direction.”
The police officer fired a single shot, hitting the man. He was then transported to an area hospital where he died from the injury, according to police.
Near the man, officers recovered a replica handgun that they determined to be a pellet pistol.
Offender’s weapon from Officer involved shooting. pic.twitter.com/mfe2sKyavg
— Spencer Police (@SpencerMAPolice) July 24, 2017
Pellet guns are also referred to as air guns or BB guns because they fire small pellets with compressed air, rather than by a chemical reaction in which powder is burned for an explosive projectile.
A firearms identification card is not needed to own an air gun in Massachusetts, though a law does prohibit minors under the age of 18 to have one, unless they’re accompanied by an adult.
State police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting.
The DA’s office stated that the investigation is continuing and no other information is currently available.
