[MR.INCREDIBLE]

(CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy shot a 15-year-old he believed was armed with a 9 mm handgun at a Florida middle school Friday only to learn later that the weapon was a modified pellet gun, the Seminole County sheriff said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/13/teen.shot/index.html

Very sad story, what are your guys thoughts on the officers decision to use deadly force, I would like to hear your opinions on this.

[Reizvoll]

I know it's a sad story... but cops have to do what they have to do.

[He] shot the eighth-grader only after the student raised the gun and threatened officers

[Batpuff]

Try this on, he dosent shot and the kid with the Pellett gun shots, but it wasnt a pellett gun but a 9mm, and the cop is killed.
I know this sounds cruel but if the kids brings the gun up in an action as to take a shot, the officer is train to shoot the subject, and I am sure that if the officer had a chance he tried to have the subject drop the firearm.

(The sheriff's deputy was a member of the SWAT team and shot the eighth-grader only after the student raised the gun and threatened officers, Eslinger said.)

This is just what i was talking about.

[MR.INCREDIBLE]

I am not saying i disagree with the action he took, I was just curious as to how everyone felt about it. Cops put thier lives on the line everyday, I know that and I have nothing but respect for them because of it. Just thought this would be a good conversation starter, seems to be working.

[Batpuff]

I will tell you its not fun when someone pulls a gun on you, only have a split sec to make a decision to shoot or not to shoot.

I was a cop for 15 years and was lucky to only have a person once pull a shot gun on me and I made the decision not to shoot but to retreat to the cover of my crusier and wait for back-up and after back-up got there talked the subject out of his car and no one was hurt.

I had every right to shoot him, because he pointed right at me as i was approaching his car, after I told him to shom me his hands he pulled the shot gun up and pointed it at me, after it was all over with he had it hot with one in the barrell and 3 other slugs init also.

[Reizvoll]

Mr. I, How I feel about it?

If that kid was in the mental state to fake a gun to look real and take it to school, and say, "I will kill myself or die somehow", how much more would it have taken for him to have taken a REAL gun, and actually do something with it?

In that situation if I were a cop, there isn't much left for you to do. You're doing your job, you have to protect others and yourself, and you want to get home that night to see your family. As the officers described the kids mannerisms at the scene he was 'suicidal', and he more than likely didn't care if he saw his family again.

I know this isn't the best that could have happened, but it's certainly not the worst. Maybe they stopped this child early, before he actually did some damage.

[Batpuff]

How in the world did he get it into the school to start with.

[Reizvoll]

It says in the report it was in his bookbag.

I don't think every school has a metal detector and frisk, property, and cavity searches when you enter the door. It's pretty easy to just stick it in your sack and walk normally inside. Remember, people sneak drugs, cigarettes, and apparently guns in to school. I know for a fact drugs and cigarettes are frequently smuggled, but I hope guns aren't.

[15thRegionCrazy]

It's sad he had to get shot but the cops were doing what they had to

[BallaBaby]

I would have done the same thing if I had been the cop.

[Beef]

The right thing was done no matter what anyone says. But you can bet that there will probably be some liberal group protesting and calling for action against the officer or some stupid shit like that.

[thetribe]

Cops give so many verbal warnings before they shoot. Once the gun is in sight they continually tell them to drop the weapon, put the gun down son, etc. so I mean I would think that the kid had plenty of oppurtunities to save his own life. By raising the weapon at the cop after he was warned, it gave permission to the cops to do their job and they did what they had to do. From a distance, BB, pellet, and even plastic fake guns can look real. The cop did what he needed to do, he had the right to do it, and he felt as if his life was in danger so he reacted.

[Amun-Ra]

parents and councelors said he was suicidal and he drew the gun on the cops. they had to shoot because they had no way of knowing it wasnt a real gun.

[thetribe]

Well, right now the boy is alive but brain dead.

His father said that they are keeping him alive so they can donate his organs...

[Amun-Ra]

yea they said thats what he would have wanted

[thetribe]

At least some good comes from the situation.

[Old School]

I don't how you can blame the police on this one, but someone will sooner or later!!

[MR.INCREDIBLE]

And now the lawsuits begin



Lawyer: Authorities were told student's gun was fake

Saturday, January 14, 2006; Posted: 9:10 p.m. EST (02:10 GMT)


Authorities show the pellet gun alongside a 9 mm handgun to demonstrate the similarities.
WATCH Browse/Search

Attorney says police were told gun was fake (6:55)

Classmate describes what led to Penley's shooting (1:33)

Student shot by SWAT member (1:54)
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Manage Alerts | What Is This? LONGWOOD, Florida (CNN) -- The father and brother of a teenager shot at school Friday while brandishing a pellet gun told authorities before an officer opened fire that Christopher Penley's gun was not real, the family's attorney said Saturday.


http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/14/teen.shot/index.html


I think we all could see this coming.

[HawkNation]

did the teen pass away???

[BC75]

the cop did the right thing

[OU_Bruiser]

Cops get paid to do there job might not be much but if there was no pay there would't be that many Cops out there but they do a good job i think.