A 12-year-old boy carrying a replica gun has been shot dead by a police officer in the US, raising fresh questions about the way America deals with violent crime.
The boy, Tamir Rice, was holding an air pistol - or BB gun - when he was challenged by an Ohio police officer and then shot at least once in the stomach on Sunday.
A lawyer for the family said the boy died yesterday.
Samaria Rice, the boy's mother, told a local TV station that her son had gone to a recreation centre across the street from their home in Cleveland with friends and his older sister.
Police officers said they were investigating the circumstances of the shooting.