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Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy Who Shot And Killed Andy Lopez Returning To Full Duty

SANTA ROSA (CBS SF)_ The Sonoma County Sheriff's deputy at the center of a controversial officer-involved shooting last year in which a teenage boy died will be returning to patrol.

The Sheriff's Office told KPIX-5 on Friday that Deputy Erick Gelhaus will be back on full-patrol duty next week.

Gelhaus was taken off patrol after he shot 13-year-old Andy Lopez seven times on a street in unincorporated Santa Rosa. The boy was carrying a pellet gun designed to look like an AK-47 assault rifle.

That shooting in October of 2013 sparked several protests and demonstrations. The Sonoma County District Attorney declined to file charges against Gelhaus in the shooting.

Gelhaus is named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Lopez's family against Sonoma County.

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