A Gwinnett County Officer shot and killed College junior Victor Vinh Charles Le, 20, last Wednesday night after Le allegedly pointed a BB gun at the officer, Gwinett police say.

The officer – whose name has not been released – arrived to Le’s household in response to a domestic dispute call from Le’s parents, according to a Gwinnett County police report. The parents were arguing with Le before midnight at the parent’s residence. The 911 caller said Le was threatening to commit a robbery.

According to the report, as the police officer entered the driveway, Le began walking down the driveway armed with a small handgun, which was later identified as a BB gun. For two minutes, the officer ordered Le to drop the gun. Le ignored the commands and continued to approach the officer. Then, the officer fatally shot Le in the chest.

The officer was not injured. He was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting.

The family was too upset to do an interview with CBS Atlanta News Thursday morning but called the tragedy “a horrible accident.”

Le was majoring in Neuroscience and Behaviorial Biology (NBB) and was a freshman legislator on the College Council. He was a member of the Karma Bhangra Team and a student representative on the Tobacco-Free Task Force.

– By Karishma Mehrotra

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