California Boy, 15, Wielding Garden Tool Is Killed by Deputy

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were called to a domestic disturbance in southern California's Apple Valley just before 5pm Saturday, and the incident ended with a 15-year-old boy fatally shot by a deputy. Authorities say the teen, Ryan Gainer, was allegedly assaulting family members and damaging property at a home, the San Bernardino Sun reports. Gainer was allegedly armed with a 5-foot-long "sharp bladed" garden tool, and deputies say he raised it and charged at one of them with no provocation, KTLA reports. "The deputy retreated and Gainer chased the deputy in an attempt to assault him with the bladed end of the tool," the sheriff's department says in a statement. At least one deputy ultimately shot the teen, killing him.

"Our social safety net for those experiencing mental illness needs to be strengthened," the sheriff said in a statement Sunday. "Rapidly evolving, violent encounters are some of the most difficult, requiring split-second decisions. While these decisions are lawful, they are awful in terms of our humanity." An investigation has been opened into the use of lethal force. A lawyer for the family says the teen had autism and questioned whether the shooting was warranted, the Guardian reports. The initial 911 call reportedly came from Gainer's sister, who said he was attacking another sister and trying to break a window and a door. (More police shooting stories.)