HERRICK TOWNSHIP, BRADFORD COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A police-involved shooting that took the life of a 15-year-old has been deemed lawful by investigators.

According to a release from Bradford County District Attorney Albert Ondrey, on May 4, State Police troopers were in Herrick Township investigating a ‘threat of violence’ allegedly made by the juvenile on an online message board.

Police say when they confronted the adolescent, he was armed with a handgun. After a chase through a wooded area, they state they offered him a surrender plan. The 15-year-old then allegedly pointed his weapon at the troopers, prompting them to open fire, shooting him three times.

In his statement, Ondrey stated “the trooper was reasonable in the belief that he and others were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury due to the juvenile’s actions of refusing to comply with their commands and by pointing the handgun at the trooper. The trooper’s use of deadly force under these circumstances was reasonable and therefore justified under Pennsylvania law.”

The 15-year-old was taken to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre where he later died.