from MSNBC.com
Miami police shoot, kill man carrying a toy gun
Relatives of victim say he was mentally disabled; no one else injured in incident
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A man carrying what was later determined to be a toy rifle was shot and killed by police, authorities in North Miami Beach said.The incident began Wednesday afternoon when officers responded to calls about a man seen walking around with a rifle.One emergency caller reported the man had pointed the rifle at a dog, NBC Miami reported.An encounter between the man and officers ensued and shots were fired, North Miami Beach police spokesman Sgt. Warren Hardison said. The man was flown to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.Members of his family said that the man was mentally disabled and never violent, according to the Miami Herald and WFOR-CBS 4. Family members told WFOR the victim was 56-year-old Ernest Vassell."They murdered him in cold blood for a toy gun!" the victim's sister, Claire Harding, told WFOR. "That’s no reason for you to kill somebody!"No one else was injured in the shooting.The Associated Press contributed to this report.