Teen wielding rifle killed by deputies in Boulder Creek

A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies in Boulder Creek after he allegedly pointed this rifle at them on July 9, 2015. A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies in Boulder Creek after he allegedly pointed this rifle at them on July 9, 2015. Photo: Courtesy, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Photo: Courtesy, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Teen wielding rifle killed by deputies in Boulder Creek 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies Thursday after officials said he pointed a rifle at them, a sheriff’s office spokesman said.

The incident began around 10:30 p.m., when the boy’s grandparents called 911 after he began breaking windows and furniture in the house with a club and attacked his 70-year-old grandfather, said Lt. Kelly Kent, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

When the first deputies arrived at the house on the 15000 block of Fern Road in Boulder Creek, the boy’s grandparents were waiting at the end of the driveway and said the teen had already killed a family pet and had access to several guns, Kent said.

As the sheriff’s office worked to set up a perimeter and staged firefighters and an ambulance nearby, Kent said a hostage negotiator was sent in who saw the boy through a window holding a rifle and a shotgun.

The teenager, who has not been identified, retreated into the house briefly, but emerged pointing the rifle straight up in the air, Kent said, before he lowered it and pointed it at one of the deputies, who opened fire along with another deputy.

The boy was struck three times in the torso and once in the hand, Kent said, and was flown to a nearby trauma center. He died during surgery early Friday.

Kent said he does not believe that any of the deputies were wearing body cameras or that any of the cruisers on scene had dashboard cameras.

“This is a tragic case for everybody involved, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the young man’s family, as well as our deputy sheriffs involved with this case,” Sheriff Jim Hart said in a statement.

Neither of the deputies involved — one of whom had been with the sheriff’s office for two years, the other for six — were identified, but Kent said they were both “highly respected members of the sheriff’s office.”

Investigations into the shooting were being conducted by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s office as well as both the criminal and administrative divisions of the sheriff’s office, Kent said.

Both deputies had been put on administrative leave until those investigations were completed, Kent said.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale