Teen killed by San Diego officers left suicide note
By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press
May 8, 2017 3:20 PM CDT
People gathered at Torrey Pines High School on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in San Diego, near a memorial for a 15 year-old student that was shot and killed by police in the parking lot the day before. (K.C. Alfred /The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)   (Associated Press)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 15-year-old boy left a suicide note before he was killed by officers after pointing a BB gun at them in a high school parking lot in the dark over the weekend, police said Monday.

Assistant Police Chief Brian Ahearn told The Associated Press that police found the note on the Torrey Pines High School student.

"We believe that he called the police and pulled the gun on them so that he would be shot," Ahearn said.

Police say the boy called 911 shortly before 3:30 a.m. Saturday to ask officers to check on the welfare of an unarmed boy in front of the school.

When two officers arrived, they spotted a youth in the front parking lot. As they got out of their patrol cars, he pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at an officer, police said.

The officers drew their guns and ordered him to drop the weapon. But instead he began to walk toward an officer, ignoring more demands to drop the weapon, police said.

Both officers fired, hitting him several times. They performed first aid and called paramedics. The teen was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The gun was found to be a BB air pistol. Investigators determined the teen made the 911 call.

Lt. Mike Holden said police found the suicide note in the teen's jacket and it indicated he planned to call police so he would be shot and killed.

The officers, one a 28-year veteran of the San Diego department, and the other a four-year veteran, were wearing body cameras.

Police didn't release the teen's name because of his age. He lived with his family in the affluent neighborhood near the coast.

The San Dieguito Union High School District said in a statement that it was sending a crisis-response team to the campus Monday to support students, staff and parents.

Superintendent Eric Dill said in a letter on the district's website that "our hearts go out to the student, his family, and his friends."

"This is a difficult time for the family and we need to let them mourn," Dill said in the letter.

Dill added that the district will strive to maintain the daily routine while offering support to people.

In October, police in South Los Angeles fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who pointed a fake gun at officers. The teen had used his cellphone to call 911 to report a man with a gun. Police say it turned out to be a replica with an orange tip that had been painted black. The teen left a farewell note to his family.

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This story corrects name of school district to San Dieguito Union High School District.