Family, Friends Mourn Teen Shot by Police

[AnarchistFunk]

Family, Friends Mourn Teen Shot by Police
By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 31 minutes ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060116/ap_on_re_us/school_evacuated

LONGWOOD, Fla. - Family and friends gathered at a private candlelight vigil Sunday to mourn a 15-year-old they knew as a troubled but friendly boy who was shot during a confrontation with police at his middle school.

ADVERTISEMENT

Christopher Penley was pronounced dead early Sunday, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Web site, two days after a deputy gunned him down as the boy brandished a pellet gun that closely resembled a 9mm handgun.

The boy had been described as clinically brain dead Saturday, and was kept alive so his organs could be harvested, said Mark Nation, a lawyer for Penley's parents.

On Friday, he was in a Milwee Middle School classroom with the pellet gun when another boy scuffled with him for control of the weapon. Christopher was later cornered by sheriff's deputies and a SWAT team in a bathroom, authorities said.

Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said the boy was suicidal and couldn't be talked into surrendering the weapon. The teenager was shot after he raised the gun at a deputy, Eslinger said.

The sheriff said it wasn't until after the incident that authorities realized the weapon was only a pellet gun.

No one else at the 1,100-student school in suburban Orlando was injured.

The media was barred from the memorial service near Penley's neighborhood, which was reeling from the shooting. Family and friends say the boy was emotionally troubled, reportedly bullied at school and had run away from home several times.

Mourners emerged from the church carrying candles, sobbing and hugging each other.

"There were a lot of songs, praying, the minister spoke a few times — trying to comfort the family that he's in a better place," said Heather Sinclair, who mentored Penley in elementary school in Winter Springs.

Pastor Robbie Hall said he addressed the roughly 135 people in the church with a message of peace.

Outside, 18-year-old Steven Lewis, who had known Christopher for five years, said the teen "got along with everyone."

"Everyone was his best friend," Lewis said. "He's still with me in my heart."

Funeral arrangements were pending.

"It's just unbelievable to me that he's gone," said Bucky Hurt, a family friend who had been with the boy's father, Ralph Penley, at the hospital. "It's very, very devastating. Good kid too — it's a tragedy."

-------------------------------------------------------

They have a freakin swat team and sherifs deputies , they have a suicidal 15 year old kid with a pellet gun trapped in a bathroom and they kill him, incredible, useless, should of never happened

 

[PuffnScruff]

your right it shouldnt of happend. the kid shouldnt have taken a pellet gun to school because he was affraid getting his ass kicked in a fight that day. if he would not have made that dumb choice he would not have gotten shot. the police didnt know it was a pellet gun.

 

[KAMIKAZI]

your right it shouldnt of happend. the kid shouldnt have taken a pellet gun to school because he was affraid getting his ass kicked in a fight that day. if he would not have made that dumb choice he would not have gotten shot. the police didnt know it was a pellet gun.

I don't blame the kid for bringing a weapon, though not as extreme, I also bring a weapon to school, I can't afford to get jacked on the way home from school because I don't carry a weapon in my backpack... the kid was just dumb for not surrendering to the cops.

 

[PuffnScruff]

I don't blame the kid for bringing a weapon, though not as extreme, I also bring a weapon to school, I can't afford to get jacked on the way home from school because I don't carry a weapon in my backpack... the kid was just dumb for not surrendering to the cops.

while i think i can understand your situation it is a little different from this kids. he didnt bring this to school every day. he brought the pellet gun to school on that day for one reason. he was going to get his ass kicked at school that day. he wanted to try and ward off the people who were going to jump him.

 

[AnarchistFunk]

your right it shouldnt of happend. the kid shouldnt have taken a pellet gun to school because he was affraid getting his ass kicked in a fight that day. if he would not have made that dumb choice he would not have gotten shot. the police didnt know it was a pellet gun.

my point is

FULLY TRAINED SWAT team AND FULLY TRAINED sheriffs deputys vs armed (pellet gun) 15 year old

that should not result in a dead 15 year old

 

[PuffnScruff]

i see your point , yes they are fully trained and they did what they're training teached them to do.

they had no way of knowing it was a pellet gun.

the kid pointed the gun at the police. they would have shot anyone no matter what the age.

 

[AnarchistFunk]

i see your point , yes they are fully trained and they did what they're training teached them to do.

they had no way of knowing it was a pellet gun.

the kid pointed the gun at the police. they would have shot anyone no matter what the age.

even if thats the case, they dont know its a pellet gun, its a 15 year old, even if he points the gun at fully equiped and protected swat team and senior sheriffs deputies

there is plenty of other options to defuse the situation rather then shoot to kill

 

[PuffnScruff]

even if thats the case, they dont know its a pellet gun, its a 15 year old, even if he points the gun at fully equiped and protected swat team and senior sheriffs deputies

there is plenty of other options to defuse the situation rather then shoot to kill

it is easier to say that than to be in the actual situation

 

[Helena]

it is easier to say that than to be in the actual situation

exactly, no matter how fucked up the situation, they did what had to be done

 

[Glockmatic]

The kid pointed a gun at the police, what if it was a real gun and the kid shot and killed a cop? Would you mourn for that cop? He/she had a family too. The kid was a fucking idiot who brought a pellet gun and kept another student hostage with it. Kid got what he wanted

 

[Diaz]

Kid got what he wanted

LOL, just because he got what he deserved doesn't mean he WANTED it.

 

[S O F I]

^Nobody deserves to die, first of all.

Second, the kid was on a suicidal mission. I think I read somewhere that he did not want to go out of that situation alive.

I'm just waiting to see whether Marylin Manson or Eminem will be blamed.

 

[S O F I]

I don't blame the kid for bringing a weapon, though not as extreme, I also bring a weapon to school, I can't afford to get jacked on the way home from school because I don't carry a weapon in my backpack... the kid was just dumb for not surrendering to the cops.

By the time you get the weapon out of your backpack, you'll be on the ground, and your precious iPod in some other kid's hands.

 

[Diaz]

By the time you get the weapon out of your backpack, you'll be on the ground, and your precious iPod in some other kid's hands.

Backpack? Try pocket.

Thats right, Ray fits a bat (about the size of the one in GTA) in his pocket, and I carry a butterfly knife.

Fuck with us.

 

[Jokerman]

They have a freakin swat team and sherifs deputies, they have a suicidal 15 year old kid with a pellet gun trapped in a bathroom and they kill him...

First, the law enforcement team was outside the restroom when the kid exited and pointed his gun at one of the officers. They hadn't gone in after him.

The kid could have pulled the trigger in 3-7 milliseconds. Add just a couple milliseconds more, and it could have been somebody else's child that the gun was pointed at. Think quickly. You have 3 milliseconds to think about this. That's all the boy and the situation allowed the officer. He did what he was trained to do and what he had to do. We do not pay these guys to stand there and play target.

Also, you don't know what equipment the officer had or didn't have to protect him. Even fully-equipped, they can still get shot, esp in the face. It's not their job to weed out mental patients. It's not their job to protect a gun-wielding person. They react to the scenario they are put in. Their job is to protect others and themselves from a threat, in this case: him.

What we know:

1. Kid had what looked like a gun.
2. Kid was in a school.
3. Kid was disturbed/unstable.
4. Other children were still present, though locked down.
5. Kid pointed his gun at an officer.
6. Officer perceived the threat and responded.


What we don't know:

1. What was behind the officer? Open field, impenetrable barrier, or kindergarten full of hemophiliac children?
2. What was the construction of the interior walls? Cinder block or drywall or what?
3. What the police were planning to do. Perhaps they planned on using some sort of mobile robot, CS, or other wonderful technical solution du jour?
4. How much time they had to plan & respond. Did they have time to deploy assets other than those carried by individual members? What were those assets?

It's easy to sit behind a computer, and say, the officers could have done this or that instead of what they did... but you have the luxury of hindsight. At the end of the day, the responsibility lies with the young adult who brought a realistic firearm to school.

This is a sad situation for many reasons, but the kid managed to get himself identifed as a legitimate threat, and he was dealt with accordingly.

Students knew he was bullied, his parents more than likely knew he was bullied, and I'm sure that the school knew it too and yet nothing was done to help him.

The kid is at fault for taking an airgun to school and pointing it at law enforcement. This all could have been avoided if adults had stopped the bullying and got the kid mental health treatment. The end result with this case is neglect and stupidity.

Maybe an operative lesson can be learned here on why one shouldn't point any kind of gun at another unless you're willing to shoot.

 

[PuffnScruff]

they had an update on this on local news tonight.

the sniper is on leave while the investigation is going on. that officer that shot the kid is a 20 year vet of the police force. that alone should say something about the officer

the kid has had problems with the law before. a year ago he was under investigation for making threats either in school or towards people at the school. but nothing ever came of that investigation. the kid was also kicked out of school this past summer.

 

[Freedom Froggy]

First, the law enforcement team was outside the restroom when the kid exited and pointed his gun at one of the officers. They hadn't gone in after him.

The kid could have pulled the trigger in 3-7 milliseconds. Add just a couple milliseconds more, and it could have been somebody else's child that the gun was pointed at. Think quickly. You have 3 milliseconds to think about this. That's all the boy and the situation allowed the officer. He did what he was trained to do and what he had to do. We do not pay these guys to stand there and play target.

Also, you don't know what equipment the officer had or didn't have to protect him. Even fully-equipped, they can still get shot, esp in the face. It's not their job to weed out mental patients. It's not their job to protect a gun-wielding person. They react to the scenario they are put in. Their job is to protect others and themselves from a threat, in this case: him.

What we know:

1. Kid had what looked like a gun.
2. Kid was in a school.
3. Kid was disturbed/unstable.
4. Other children were still present, though locked down.
5. Kid pointed his gun at an officer.
6. Officer perceived the threat and responded.


What we don't know:

1. What was behind the officer? Open field, impenetrable barrier, or kindergarten full of hemophiliac children?
2. What was the construction of the interior walls? Cinder block or drywall or what?
3. What the police were planning to do. Perhaps they planned on using some sort of mobile robot, CS, or other wonderful technical solution du jour?
4. How much time they had to plan & respond. Did they have time to deploy assets other than those carried by individual members? What were those assets?

It's easy to sit behind a computer, and say, the officers could have done this or that instead of what they did... but you have the luxury of hindsight. At the end of the day, the responsibility lies with the young adult who brought a realistic firearm to school.

This is a sad situation for many reasons, but the kid managed to get himself identifed as a legitimate threat, and he was dealt with accordingly.

Students knew he was bullied, his parents more than likely knew he was bullied, and I'm sure that the school knew it too and yet nothing was done to help him.

The kid is at fault for taking an airgun to school and pointing it at law enforcement. This all could have been avoided if adults had stopped the bullying and got the kid mental health treatment. The end result with this case is neglect and stupidity.

Maybe an operative lesson can be learned here on why one shouldn't point any kind of gun at another unless you're willing to shoot.

this proves you where the swat member with a itchy trigger finger :thumb:

 

[Jokerman]

this proves you were the swat member with an itchy trigger finger :thumb:

Yes, and I had more armor on than Robocop and I knew it was an Airsoft gun.

 

[The.Menace]

that officer that shot the kid is a 20 year vet of the police force. that alone should say something about the officer

that he's an asshole?

Anyway, what I don't get - this kid is in a room alone. U know it's a 15 year old boy - why don't the throw a flash in there first, then go through the door and just catch him? That's how I'd do it - they have all sorts of gas and flashes - this is the perfect situation to use those.

 

[ARon]

What went down went down, unfortunately nothing can be changed. But the lawyer was on the news saying that the kids brother and father told the police the gun was fake, this was before he got shot. I know nothing about police protocol but don't they usually try to shoot him in the shoulder or something, I don't know, just a 15 year old kid, I'd think I would use some hesitance to go for a kill shot and use something other than deadly force. Why not a bean bag gun or the net thing or that laser shit they point at your eyes, a taser or something. I just think his life could of been saved, if they took more time and thought out the situation. Rather than chasing him down, trapping him, and what seems like forcing an officer do exactly what the kid wanted.
I can't call what the officer did was wrong, he did his job and what he was trained to do. I just wish what happened didn't happen and there was ultimately a different ending.
Hopefully teachers and parents will wake the fuck up and realize school is not some great place for kids and all that, high school has more of a social structure than any place, somethign needs to be done to avoid these situations.