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Hundreds Rally A Week After Deadly Shooting Of Santa Rosa 13-Year-Old

SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) - Hundreds of people marched to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Santa Rosa Tuesday afternoon to protest the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a sheriff's deputy last week.

The crowd arrived shortly after 1 p.m. at the building, located at 2796 Ventura Ave. Barricades have been set up to block protesters from reaching the entrance.

At least a dozen deputies wearing riot helmets were standing behind the barricade. About 10 others were on the roof of the building, watching the crowd with binoculars. Another deputy was filming the protesters.

The crowd was spread out through the parking lot in clusters, with some chanting, "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now."

Part of the crowd that marched to the sheriff's office gathered at the Santa Rosa Junior College campus at noon. Another group met at City Hall.

Speakers at the junior college called for peace and invoked movements led by Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr.

"My name is Andy Lopez ... We are all Andy," one man told the crowd.

Other protesters held a large sign bearing Andy's photo and the message "Jail Killer Cop Erick Gelhaus."

Protests ended peacefully around 3 p.m.

Gelhaus, 48, a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's office and a firearms training expert, shot Lopez seven times last Tuesday afternoon because he believed the teen had an AK-47 assault rifle. It turned out the eighth-grader was actually carrying an airsoft BB gun.

The shooting happened at 3:15 p.m. at Moorland and West Robles avenues, southwest of Santa Rosa. A plastic handgun was later found in Lopez's waistband.

Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the shooting, said Gelhaus and another deputy reported afterward that when Andy turned toward them after they tried to get his attention, the barrel of the rifle rose toward them and they feared for their safety. The other deputy did not fire.

Kelsey Young, a Santa Rosa Junior College student who stopped by Tuesday's rally, noted that there is a lot of animosity going around. "I'm for Andy, not against anyone," she said.

"It's just a real shame that there's a child that's dead," she said. "I don't want to place blame on anybody, but there needs to be transparency and clarity from authorities, and also more care and education for children."

Fellow student Nick Perez said he had read about the shooting in the newspaper.

"I found it really tragic and sad, and I understand why people are angry," he said. "It's amazing how many people are here, not just from Santa Rosa but from Oakland and all over California."

On Friday afternoon, protesters—mostly teen students—marched more than 2 miles from Santa Rosa City Hall to the sheriff's office.

Santa Rosa police said Monday that Friday's march was peaceful but that some protesters brought replica weapons, which they said was dangerous and unnecessary.

"Our community will not tolerate violence or other violations of the law during demonstrations. Let's work together to prevent further violence," police said.

The Sonoma County Administration Center closed at noon Tuesday because of the protest. Employees who remained were advised to move their cars away from the sheriff's office.

A post on a "Justice for Andy Lopez" Facebook page encouraged students to leave their classes at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Socorro Shiels released a statement Monday asking parents to encourage their children to stay in class, citing concerns about their safety.

She said the protests are not student-driven but rather are organized and promoted by adults from outside of Santa Rosa.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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