Mom Defends Slain Teen Gunman
NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. (CBS13) -- The mother of a teen boy who died in an officer-involved shooting on Thursday reacted angrily after neighbors told CBS13 they weren't surprised by the suspect's violent end.
Nichelle Harris said her 17-year-old son, Montrey Hodge, was troubled but had no intention of hurting anyone when he was shot and killed after a foot pursuit through a North Highlands neighborhood Thursday morning.
A Twin Rivers police officer approached the teen on suspicion he was a truant just before 11:00 a.m., and when the teen fled, he dropped a handgun onto the ground, according to authorities.
Investigators said the teen was shot when he tried to reach for the handgun and died at the scene from his wounds.
"He was a troubled teen, I don't deny that," Harris said. "He ran because he was a 17-year-old boy afraid, didn't want to get caught with [the gun], didn't want to get in trouble."
Several witnesses told CBS13 that Hodge was a known menace in the neighborhood and had a history of criminal activity, and the Sacramento Sheriff's Department said they've responded to a dozen calls at the teen's home over the past two years.
Harris said her son had normal teenage interests and played football at Rio Linda High School. "No one sees the positive. They only see what they want to see or make up," she said.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending a Sheriff's Department investigation, which is standard procedure after any on-duty shooting.
