BOGOTA, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Colombian police officer who killed a 16-year-old graffiti artist last week was removed from his position and is under investigation, officials said.
The Colombian Prosecutor General's Office is looking into the killing of Diego Felipe Becerra, 16, after he was allegedly shot in the back by a Bogota police officer during a robbery last Saturday, El Espectador reported Friday.
The police officer, who has not been named, is being accused of shooting the adolescent after police were informed of four youths allegedly robbing a bus driver at gunpoint.
The bus driver's testimony has lead officials to believe Becerra was armed.
"I saw his face in the newspaper and it appeared to be the same face I saw through the glass," said the driver, who wished to remain unidentified. "He told me to move slowly or he would shoot."
The officer allegedly shot Becerra from 6 feet away. Becerra died on the way to a hospital.
