A 17 year-old boy was shot dead by police at his school after his girlfriend's mother called officers to claim her daughter had been beaten up by him.
Anthony Thompson was reported to police in Knoxville, Tennessee, last Monday hours before his death. Regina Perkins - the mother of Thompson's girlfriend Alexus Page, 17, says she did so over claims Thompson pulled Alexus's hair during a fight at school, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
Police said Thompson had a gun inside Austin-East Magnet High School in east Knoxville later Monday and was shot to death in a confrontation with officers in a bathroom, sparking a lockdown.
Anthony Thompson Jr, 17 (left), was shot and killed by the police inside his high school in Knoxville, after he had a fight with his girlfriend, Alexus Page, 17 (right), and her mother called the police on him
Regina Perkins says she turned to the authorities after seeing marks on her daughter's face and some of her hair missing
Police shot and killed Thompson inside a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School on April 12 in Knoxville, Tennessee
'This could have been prevented,' Perkins told the newspaper. 'That child should not be dead, and my condolences sincerely go out to Anthony's family.'
Perkins said Thompson and her daughter, 17-year-old Alexus Page, had dated for nine months, but their relationship was rocky and at times violent, and the girl's mother said she wanted to separate them.
'My daughter honestly wanted to help him deal with everything he was going through, but I knew that things were becoming unhealthy so I did what I could as a parent to shield her from it,' explained Perkins.
Page, a junior at Austin-East, called Perkins from an assistant principal's office earlier Monday, saying she was upset and wanted to leave school early.
Perkins said she allowed her to sign out and go home, where Page indicated she and Thompson got into a scuffle during an argument, which left her with marks on her face and some hair missing.
Perkins said she tried without success to reach Thompson's mother before calling police.
An officer came to her home to take a statement and asked if Thompson had a gun, to which Perkins said she told him that she did not think so. Her daughter even pointed out to the cop that her boyfriend was wearing skinny jeans that day and had no place to hide a weapon.
Thompson and Page (pictured) had dated for about nine months, but their relationship was turbulent
Page's mother said her daughter's relationship with Thompson was turning violent, and she wanted to separate them. Pictured left: Page and her boyfriend are posing with what appears to be a gun
Perkins also exchanged text messages with Thompson, telling him that an officer would be coming to the school.
'Anthony was aware that I had called the police and made a report,' Perkins said.
Not long after that, Perkins said she saw a helicopter above the school and learned that the school was on lockdown.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said police responded to a report of a possible gunman about 15 minutes before the school's 3.30pm dismissal.
Perkins said she now wishes she had never called police.
'I am so sorry, and I never meant for anything to happen to him,' Perkins said. 'We are mourning, my daughter is grieving the loss of her first love and we also want answers and justice in this case.'
Meanwhile, Page has been sharing videos and photos of Thompson on social media, and writing posts expressing her love and longing for her 'baby.' She has even had his name tattooed on her chest.
Speaking at a prayer vigil a day after Thompson's death, Page said: 'I just know the petty arguments aren't worth it. Pick and choose what you argue about. You never know when it's gonna be your partner's time,' reported WBIR.
After taking a report from Perkins, police headed to the school, where they confronted Thompson, who they say was armed with a gun
A school resource officer was shot, but officials said the bullet that struck him did not come from Thompson's gun
Speaking at a prayer vigil a day after Thompson's death, Page said: 'I just know the petty arguments aren't worth it '(pictured)
During the shooting, a school resource officer was wounded by a gunshot, which the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said did not come from the student's gun, raising the possibility that the officer could have been hit by police gunfire
A press release since issued by the TBI alleges that Thompson had a gun, that it was fired first during a struggle with police officers, who subsequently fired two shots. The resource officer was shot in the leg and is recovering after surgery.
A local prosecutor has denied a request by Knoxville's mayor to release video footage of the shooting, saying the public will be allowed to see the body camera evidence at some point.
The shooting occurred as the community reels from off-campus gun violence that has left three other Austin-East students dead this year.
It also comes as more classrooms are reopening to students after months of remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic, a period that saw a drop in mass killings in the US. The nation has seen a series of mass shootings in recent weeks, including at least four on Sunday.
People look on as Knoxville police work the scene of a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School on April 12
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