New York State AG Opens Investigation After 2 Teenagers Shot and Killed by Sheriff’s Deputy

Two teenagers were shot to death by a sheriff's deputy after allegedly stealing a car and nearly running over the law enforcement officer in DeWitt, New York, Wednesday morning, according to Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley, per Syracuse.com.

The killed teenagers were both 15 years old, a source familiar with the investigation told the news agency.

The New York State Attorney General's Office opened an investigation into the shooting, citing state law requiring deaths involving law enforcement officers to be assessed.

The incident unfolded after the deputy responded to a report of suspicious vehicles, according to the attorney general's office.

A group of six teenagers was reportedly involved in the theft of two vehicles on Tuesday night in Syracuse, according to WSYR-TV. The group allegedly robbed two smoke shops in the area that night, the news outlet reported.

When the deputy arrived at the scene, he allegedly found two vehicles and fired his gun at one of the vehicles, the attorney general's office said. Shelley said the deputy fired three shots at the vehicle, which allegedly tried to run him over while the other vehicle fled, WSYR-TV reported. Each vehicle reportedly had three teenagers inside.

When the vehicle was located in Syracuse, one of the teens inside the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, and another was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, the attorney general's office said.

A third person in the vehicle reportedly fled and has not yet been found, nor has the other vehicle and its occupants, according to WSYR-TV.

Shelley said the deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation unfolds, the news outlet reported.