When he reached into his waistline, he was killed in a

Cincinnati police has defended their officers after a white suspect who pointed a replica gun at cops was tased, while a black assailant who did the same thing was shot dead.

Christopher R. Laugle, 26, waved a toy weapon at officers during a confrontation at his home on Wednesday.

When he refused to back down, cops gave him the electric shock and arrested him.

Just 18 hours later Paul Gaston, 37, was reaching for what turned out to be an Airsoft gun in the waistband of his pants when he was killed in a hail of bullets.

Critics have accused the department of shooting Gaston because he was black, but officials insist the incidents were both extremely different.

Paul Gaston (left) was gunned down by police 18 hours after 26-year-old Christopher Laugle (right) waved a toy gun at police, but was tased instead

Laugle aimed this gun at police before he was given the electric shock. Officer said factors, including the orange muzzle, showed them it was fake at the start of the confrontation

This is the Airsoft gun Gaston was reaching for in his waistband when he was shot multiple times. Police said they had no idea it was a replica until after he was dead

Mt. Healthy police Chief Vince Demasi told The Cincinnati Enquirer last week the incidents involving Laugle and Gaston were dramatically different

They knew Laugle's gun was a toy as it had an orange marking on the muzzle.

These caps have been required on the barrel of fake or toy guns since 1989

They added that Gaston was reportedly waving the gun near children before he was confronted by police, and they didn't discover the weapon wasn't real until after he was killed.

Also, there was no orange marking on Gaston's gun.

Shaun King, a columnist who writes about race and police brutality for the New York Daily News argued on Friday the two incidents revealed 'double standards faced by black men and white men.'

'What caused police in the same city, on the same day, to determine they must use lethal force with the black man but merely take the white man into custody?' King asked.

In response to the shootings, Anonymous released the personal information of 52 Cincinnati Police Department employees.

Gaston is seen circled, on his knees, moments before he was fatally hit by officers. At least three bystanders captured footage of his death on their cell phone

In response to the shootings, Anonymous released the personal information of 52 Cincinnati Police Department employees

The hacktivists released a video on Sunday claiming they had dumped the records of staff - from rank-and-file officers all the way up to Chief Eliot Isaac - after accusing the CPD of gunning down Gaston because he was black.

They said: 'With the evidence provided it is quite obvious that he was complying and had his hands in the air. Just a day before this shooting in the Cincinnati Metropolitan area this man was accused of pointing this replica at police.

The hacktivists released a video on Sunday claiming they had dumped the records of staff - from rank-and-file officers all the way up to Chief Eliot Isaac (pictured) - after accusing the CPD of gunning down Gaston because he was black

'He lived... But John Crawfod, Tamir Rice, and now Paul Gaston didn't. How does one man point a fake pistol at a cop and live while another man doesn't, but is killed execution style?

'For far to long we have sat idle by letting the gang known as the Thin Blue Line murder citizens of United States without allowing them due process.

'Well we have a message to not only the Cincinnati Police Department but to every law enforcement officer.

'When you murder a human being when you have other choices of containing your suspect available we will make your officers information public record.'

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer , the CPD investigated whether their system had been breached and if there was a risk to officers.

They found that all of the information released could have been obtained from social media or information available in public records.

The personal data includes names, ages, street addresses, email addresses and social media accounts.

The names and addresses of many of the officers' family members were also released.

Daily Mail Online has tried to contact the Cincinnati Police Department.

No one answered the phone when they were called.