Police Claim They Thought 9-Year-Old Boy They Shot Was Actually 10-Year-Old Boy

MARIETTA, GA—Admitting that a grave miscalculation had been made about the suspect’s age, the Marietta Police Department confirmed it put an officer on leave Wednesday after he shot a 9-year-old boy who he thought was actually a 10-year-old boy. “At approximately 8 a.m., an officer opened fire on a young boy who he believed to be not 8, not 9, but a full double-digit 10 years old,” said Police Chief Arlon Grieves, adding that the officer, thinking he was confronting a slightly older child, immediately feared for his life, drew his gun, and acted in a manner to protect both himself and his fellow officers. “While we regret the error, the officer in question believed this third-grader was in fact a full-grown fourth-grader, which for all intents and purposes basically counts as middle school. The fact is, if this 9-year-old had indeed been 10 years old—which is the age of a big boy—you’d all be applauding us. Simple as that.” At press time, sources reported the officer had been reinstated after it was revealed that the boy he had shot was in fact over 9-and-a-half years old.