Protest in Tempe following officer involved shooting that killed 14-year-old suspect

TEMPE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- On Thursday, two days after an officer involved shooting in Tempe killed a 14-year-old, people gathered for a protest outside the Tempe Police headquarters.

According to a statement released Wednesday by Tempe Police, officers responded to an alley on the 4500 block of S. Fair Lane at around 2:38 p.m. for a suspicious vehicle report. When officers arrived on scene, they saw a person who was in the process of burglarizing the car. Eventually, a chase took place, and during the chase, a police officer perceived a threat, and opened fire, hitting the suspect.

The weapon that was in the suspect's possession was later determined to be a replica 1911 model airsoft gun. Police confirmed they have the incident captured on body camera, but have not released it.

On Thursday night, the family chanted the teen's name, Antonio Arce, saying they want transparency from police.

"Why? Why god? Why did you take away our son, who was barey beginning to live his life?" the suspect's mother said, in Spanish. "He was so young. God why? God why?"

"How much times he got shot? Didn't wanna tell us where he got shot? Just very hard for all of us. I just want justice. Please. Help us," said another person at the protest.

Tempe Police Statement
The Tempe Police Department would like to express our deepest condolences to the Gonzales family. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation and will be able to present more information on this incident tomorrow. In regards to the protest, we support and respect those who chose to peacefully share their concerns.

Tempe Police Association Statement
Every police officer in Tempe has a heavy heart tonight. We grieve with our community. Our Association believes in and supports open, cooperative investigations into every police use of force incident investigations based on facts and taking into account the difficult, demanding nature of police decision-making. As we hope the public will do, we will withhold judgment on this matter until the investigation is complete and all the facts are known.