A witness to the incident, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said two young men or boys were on the street when a police cruiser drove past. The person said it didn’t seem like the police were pulling up quickly on the two people, but “they did kind of slow down and look at him.”

One of the boys ran, and officers got out of the car to chase him. He was holding his side like he had a gun, the witness said.

The boy, who the witness described as almost 6 feet tall, ran past the elementary school and toward a vacant lot. He then fired at officers, who took cover and returned fire, the person said.

Dotson said the 14-year-old who was shot was reportedly out with an acquaintance Sunday morning, and police were searching for the acquaintance.

An estimated 50 people gathered in a couple of groups near the shooting scene Sunday, some already skeptical of the police account of the incident.

Cassandra Barton was among a group of people near the scene, with some yelling that the police were lying about the shooting.

“They need them body cameras,” said Barton, who did not see the shooting but whose mother lives on the block where it occurred. “Then they wouldn’t have this problem.”