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LAPD: Boy, 14, fired gun before he was fatally shot by police

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police say an officer investigating a report of people tagging a wall with gang graffiti killed a 14-year-old boy after the teen fired on the officer during a brief foot chase.

Deputy Chief Robert Arcos told reporters Wednesday that a witness says the youth fired on one of two gang unit officers Tuesday night. The officer was not hurt.

Police displayed a photo of a long-barreled revolver they say the teenager was carrying when he was killed. Arcos said it was loaded when police recovered it and it's being analyzed for evidence.

Arcos said an investigation of the shooting in the Boyle Heights neighborhood was ongoing and included video from body cameras worn by both officers. Investigators were still in the process of taking statements from the officers.

"While the loss of life is always tragic, it is particularly so when it involves a youth," Arcos said.

Police didn't release the victim's identity.

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