Columbus police have released bodycam footage of a white officer confronting two young black boys, aged 11 and 13, about carrying a BB gun that looked like a fully ballistic firearm.
The officer, Peter Casuccio, can be heard telling the boys, "I could’ve killed you. I want you to think about that tonight when you go to bed. You could be gone. Everything you want to do in this life could’ve been over."
Cassucio told NBC that one of the boys took the weapon out of his waistband and threw it to the ground, breaking in four pieces, which is when he realized it was a BB gun and not a real firearm. He also defended calling the kids "boys," explaining, "I went into dad mode. I didn't see a person of color or anything like that in front of me. I saw two kids. I saw two kids, one of whom I almost just had to shoot."
Check out the footage above.
