At least a thousand protesters gathered in Santa Rosa today to march in support of Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old boy who died at the hands of a sheriff's deputy for carrying around a toy pellet gun.
Last week, if you recall, officers thought that Lopez's AK-47 lookalike was real, shooting and killing him with seven bullets.
Protesters marched to the area of town where he was shot, carrying signs reading, "We are all Andy Lopez," and "Andy did not have to die." So far the protest looks peaceful. As The Chronicle notes, "Along the route, some students left school to join the growing crowd, including 15-year-old Joseph Douchette, who carried a sign reading, 'Jail all racist killer cops.' " A makeshift memorial was also make in honor of Lopez, complete with candles, flowers, and candy bars.
NBC Bay Area has live coverage of the protest now in progress [UPDATE: protest over]:
