FL - 8th-Grader With Gun Shot by SWAT Team

The gun wasn't real, but he had blackened the orange tip on the barrel, that the pretend guns have, to make it look like a real gun.
 
concernedperson said:
I just saw a breaking news thing at MSNBC online. The boy has died.
This kid walked around for a long time stating he wanted to die & hated his life....what did they try to do for him? If anything.
 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10838299/

LONGWOOD, Fla. - The 15-year-old boy shot by police while brandishing a pellet gun in a middle school bathroom was clinically brain dead Saturday but was being kept alive to harvest his organs, his family's attorney said.
 
Events like this sure make you angry. Not angry at those involved, but angry that this got out of control. We were all 15 once, I can't remember anyone talking about things like suicide or wanting to be killed.
 


Lawyer: Teen Shot by Police Is Brain Dead


By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jan 15, 6:38 AM ET

The parents of a 15-year-old boy accused of terrorizing classmates with a pistol warned authorities the weapon likely was fake before police shot him in a middle school bathroom, a family attorney said Saturday.

Christopher Penley, of Winter Springs, was accused of pulling a pellet gun in a classroom Friday and pointing it at other students. When he later raised the weapon at a deputy, a SWAT team member shot him, authorities said. Penley was clinically brain dead Saturday, said family attorney Mark Nation.

"His organs are in the process of being harvested," Nation said.

Officers who had responded to the 1,100-student school in suburban Orlando believed the gun was a Beretta 9mm, and didn't learn until after the shooting that it was a pellet gun.

The boy's parents, Ralph and Donna Penley, were in contact with authorities during the incident and told them they believed Penley did NOT have a real gun, Nation said. Ralph Penley went to the school to attempt to talk his son out of the situation.

"When he got to the school, they would not let him in and he was later told Christopher had been shot," Nation said.

Sheriff's officials Saturday did not return several calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on the lawyer's allegations.

Friends and investigators say Penley was bullied and emotionally distraught, and went to school that day expecting to die.



Patrick Lafferty, a 15-year-old neighbor who has known Penley about six years, said he wasn't surprised by what happened. He said Penley was a loner who "told me he wanted to kill himself dozens of times."

"He would put his headphones on and walk up and down the street and he would work out a lot," preferring to keep to himself, Lafferty said.

Kelly Swofford, a family spokeswoman and neighbor of the boy's parents, said the boy had run away from home several times. Her 11-year-old son, Jeffery Swofford, said Penley had said he had something planned.

"He said `I hope I die today because I don´t really like my life,´" Jeffery Swofford said.

Maurice Cotey, 13, told WKMG-TV in Orlando that he struggled with Penley over the gun after everyone else left the classroom.

"He got me towards the closet door, he turned me around, and ... started to point the gun at me, so I started to grab for it. And he pulled it away and then I grabbed for it one more time, .... twisted it and I pointed it at him."

Cotey said after he put the gun to Penley's legs, the gunman kicked him into the closet, where the two scuffled further, before Penley ran out of the classroom.

The school went into lockdown.

From there, Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said, Penley traversed the Milwee Middle School campus before ending up in a bathroom. By then, more than 40 officers, including SWAT and negotiators, were on scene. He refused to drop the firearm, Eslinger said, and was shot after pointing it at a SWAT deputy.

Jeffery Swofford said Penley had been in a disagreement with someone, allegedly over a girl. There was going to be a fight Friday, he said. "I heard a rumor that he had a BB gun, but I didn't think he really had one," he added.

*********


OK - this incident at Millwee Middle School on 'Friday the 13th' happened in my neck of the woods - more or less. It was breaking news on all the local channels interrupting local programming with news footage, updates & sheriff's dept. press conferences all day Friday.

What I did not see or hear reported later "in the cable news & print versions" of this story - was that this unhappy young boy (Christopher) was bullied & so terrified & traumatized by several boys who had been threatening to beat-him-up & kill him on that same Friday - that he brought the "pellet gun" to school in his back pack to scare the bullies off if accosted - but, not to hurt anyone.

This boy (Chris) was reported by most interviewed sources (including his relatives & family attorney) to be in the "7th" grade. Some news sources reported either 7th or 8th grade. Christopher was "15" years old. "15"

"Why was this boy still in middle school with 11-14 yr. olds?"

Looking back - my youngest son, also named Christopher, was a junior in high school in January of his 15th year. Most of his classmates were also in 11th grade at 15 or 16. That's a 3-4 year difference from 7th or 8th grade. "So - what's going on here???" :confused: I can't imagine how 15 yr. old Christopher Penley must have felt in 7-8 grade when his entire peer group were all in high school. Something akin to a fish out of water ...? :(

The 1st version of the story (here locally!) was that the seasoned SWAT team member decided to shoot when the boy (with the toy gun) pointed his look-alike 9mm baretta at his own head - not at the police negotiators. The story changed during subsequent news conferences - saying that a SWAT member fired the single deadly shot when the boy aimed the gun at them. Looked & felt like a whole lot of political posturing and 'Cover Your A$$' to me.

The boy's father & brother were both there at the school requesting to speak to Christopher and end the stand-off peacefully. The dad said he was sure it was not a real gun. The parental requests were denied.

At this time - the parents (with the help of their attorney) are planning their own investigation into exactly what happened. The father is totally distraught - beside himself with grief - and has not done any interviews with the media.

On Saturday - the Dad chose to keep Christopher alive on "emergency life support" at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando after finding out his son was brain dead - so that Chris's organs could be harvested to save the lives of other children. God bless him - big time! :angel:

Today's local news reported that there is a memorial service scheduled for this evening (Sunday) at a local church that is open to the public.

As a side note - I can't help wondering why this boy was bussed to a Longwood middle school on SR 427 when he resided in the city of Winter Springs where there are newer & better schools closer to his place of residence. Just doesn't make any sense to me! :confused:

And why were all the 10-15 yr. old neighborhood kids - Christopher included - allowed to have & play "unsupervised" with pellet guns anyway? :confused: :confused:

Very SAD story - that never should have happened! :(

13th Juror
 



"Vigil Planned for Student Shot by Police"


By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer

Family and friends mourning the loss of a troubled teenager prepared a candlelight vigil Sunday to remember the boy, who had been described as clinically brain dead within a day of being shot by deputies at his middle school.

Christopher Penley, 15, was only kept alive after being declared clinically brain dead Saturday morning so his organs could be harvested for donation, said Mark Nation, a lawyer for Penley's parents.

The lawyer said doctors were expected to take him off life support after all useable organs had been removed. The hospital refused to discuss his condition.

"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."

The evening vigil was planned at nearby Landmark Community church to remember Christopher.

Friends and neighbors described the teenager as emotionally troubled, saying he had been bullied at school and had run away from home several times.

On Friday, he was at school with a pellet gun that closely resembled a 9mm handgun when another boy scuffled with him for control of the gun inside a classroom. Christopher was later cornered by sheriff's deputies and a SWAT team in a school 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.

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

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

But the family's lawyer said Saturday that Ralph Penley had told authorities during the standoff that his son had a pellet gun. Nation said police wouldn't let the father inside when he arrived at the school.

"If Christopher was alive and (Ralph Penley) was able to go into the school, he would've been able to talk him out of it," Nation said. "He did everything he could to avoid this situation."

* * * * * *

I think there's a lot more we will learn about this tragic SWAT shooting if a complete unencumbered investigation is allowed to go forward - without being impeded by political agendas and a PR campaign designed to misinform the media & public.

Feeling very sad for young Christopher Penley & his grieving family today .. :(

13th Juror
 
13th Juror said:


I think there's a lot more we will learn about this tragic SWAT shooting if a complete unencumbered investigation is allowed to go forward - without being impeded by political agendas and a PR campaign designed to misinform the media & public.

Feeling very sad for young Christopher Penley & his grieving family today .. :(

13th Juror


I feel very sad, also, for the police officer who had to make the decision to shoot and hope, too, that there is a thorough investigation, including anwers about how Christopher came into possession of such a realistic-looking gun, what sort of help he was getting for his known suicidal desires and what school officials were doing to address the bullying problems at his school.
 
Seriously, would that 15 year old boy been able to shoot accurately at that cop anyway?

This is terrible. Bullying is a crime and it needs to stop and needs to be controlled at the school level. Teachers and principals need to be involved as well as parents of the bullying kids. Kids who are bullied live difficult lives. They often get depressed, suicidal, want to kill others and will do these sorts of things, if not worse and want to do a Columbine.
 
Boatswain'sMate said:
I feel very sad, also, for the police officer who had to make the decision to shoot and hope, too, that there is a thorough investigation, including anwers about how Christopher came into possession of such a realistic-looking gun, what sort of help he was getting for his known suicidal desires and what school officials were doing to address the bullying problems at his school.



Good points, Boatswain'sMate. :)

I had several thoughts along those lines as well. It always baffles me why parents purchase or allow their children to have these realistic looking war games type of guns. Frankly, in this age of so much youth violence - I don't understand why parents permit any kind of gun or toy that denotes violence. Violent video games are at the top of my no-no list.

As for the bullying in school - I understand from my friends with school age kids that it is rampant. Worse than ever! Most of the time the administration, teachers & school resource officers are either unaware or turning a blind eye to the magnitude of the problem. I'm told that little is being done to address the issues. Kids 'being bullied' are all too frequently afraid to tell those in authority as "telling" often makes the situation even worse for them. IMO - public schools are over-crowded - the teachers are underpaid & they no longer seem to hold the respect, authority & esteem that they once did "way back in time" when I attended school. (long time ago - lol)

IMO - in most instances - it all comes back to overly permissive parents who are not engaged in teaching discipline, manners, personal integrity & responsibility at home - but, expecting the school system to do that job for them. Seems the extent of many parent's involvement in their children's lives is simply to buy them things - "material stuff" - whatever the kid wants & their credit line allows. "Stuff" - but not the gift of their "time" and an emotionally secure family environment.

OK - end of my rant ... I'm just a bit exasperated at how so many of the kids today aren't getting what they truly need growing up - love, understanding, discipline & responsible parents.

13th Juror
 
PrayersForMaura said:
This is terrible. Bullying is a crime and it needs to stop and needs to be controlled at the school level. Teachers and principals need to be involved as well as parents of the bullying kids. Kids who are bullied live difficult lives. They often get depressed, suicidal, want to die and will do these sorts of things, if not worse and want to do a Columbine.
PrayersForMaura,
You are so right that bullying needs to stop and be controlled by teachers and principals.The ones that are bullied go through mental and physical torture daily.Sometimes they get it at home.Just picture being in school,getting picked on daily and sometimes getting abused at home.I have seen several shows that investigate bullying in schools.Many,many kids committed suicide.It is beyond belief that this is allowed to go on.What happened to Guidance Counselors,Social workers,ect.?When I went to school,we had them available in our school.If a child were slipping in grades,there were people who would find out why.
Here is a linkto some of the ones who felt that suicide was the only way to stop the bullying:
http://www.bullyonline.org/schoolbully/cases.htm#USA


If anyone wonders why he was grades lower in school;

How can someone concentrate on school work when they are under constant fear about being bullied!Do not wonder why they stay back a grade or 2.


As far as the realistic pellet gun,BB guns,air pellet were sold for 18.00 at Walmart and other places.BB guns have become more and more realistic looking.Not the little plastic ones that little boys got for Christmas.These things look like real 9mm when it is pointed at you.
 
I don't know that this is the make and model that this boy had but regardless, it is an example of just how real they look.



dark_shadows said:
PrayersForMaura,
You are so right that bullying needs to stop and be controlled by teachers and principals.The ones that are bullied go through mental and physical torture daily.Sometimes they get it at home.Just picture being in school,getting picked on daily and sometimes getting abused at home.I have seen several shows that investigate bullying in schools.Many,many kids committed suicide.It is beyond belief that this is allowed to go on.What happened to Guidance Counselors,Social workers,ect.?When I went to school,we had them available in our school.If a child were slipping in grades,there were people who would find out why.

If anyone wonders why he was grades lower in school;

How can someone concentrate on school work when they are under constant fear about being bullied!Do not wonder why they stay back a grade or 2.


As far as the realistic pellet gun,BB guns,air pellet were sold for 18.00 at Walmart and other places.BB guns have become more and more realistic looking.Not the little plastic ones that little boys got for Christmas.These things look like real 9mm when it is pointed at you.
 
15 year olds have as much capacity to shoot at someone as anyone else. The police can only react when someone points a gun at them. I feel horrible for everyone involved, but I have to believe that as soon as he raised that weapon at a police officer, he knew exactly what he was doing.It's sad that this was a reactionary situation, instead of people knowing the problem before hand. It's sad all the way around.
 
My oldest son attended Milwee Middle School for three years. I have something to say about the staff at that school. The guidance counselors, in my experience, are horrible. If you're asking yourself how a 15 year old 8th grader with (obviously) some serious problems fell through the cracks to the point that he brought a realistic looking gun to school, it's because the adults at that school failed him the way they nearly failed my son.

In 6th grade, my son realized he was gay. By the end of that year, a kid had "outed" him to a classroom full of his peers. For weeks he would get off the bus and be pelted with rocks and called all kinds of foul names. There is being picked on and then there's being STONED by other students. It went on all day long, not just at the busstop.

I called the school. I spoke to a vice principal. I was told my son should "butch up" and "act like a guy" and the abuse would probably stop.

I got the same speech from 2 guidance counselors and the principal. It took a call to the school board before someone would agree that attacking a gay student is a hate crime. Then the police were brought in and then it stopped.

When I saw this story unfolding on the news, I felt so bad for that kid. As a parent I am terrified at the thought of another student bringing a gun to school and trying to take a hostage. But as a parent, I'm also horrified that a boy was hunted down by a pack of SWAT officers, cornered in a bathroom and shot to death without someone trying to help him. He must have been terrifyed, he probably didn't know what to do to make it stop and the only people who tried to talk to him were pointing loaded guns at him.

When his father was calling the school begging them to let him talk to his boy and telling everyone he knew his son didn't have a real gun, they dismissed him. By the time he arrived, his son had been shot with "fatal force". This could have had a different outcome, the boy could have been taken alive.

Even if it were a real gun, was the 15 year old boy ever really a threat to the trained, armed and protected (wearing bullet proof vest) SWAT team that had him cornered? IMO, no.
 
if you point a gun at a police officer, you're a threat. End of story. That's the rules they use to engage, and yes, he would have been a threat. You cant wear kevlar everywhere.
 
I have to agree with GatorMom, the parents should have been called in and been allowed to speak to their son. What harm could it have done and they may have been able to end the standoff peacefully. I know that if that were my child, I would have moved heaven and earth to get in there.

I know that the cops were doing their jobs and we certainly cannot have children running around schools with guns, fake or not. The biggest mistake in this situation was not letting that Dad in there to talk to the son. In most hostage cases I have seen, they bring in a relative to try to bring them out peacefully. Should a child not get this same consideration?

His life did not have to end this way. He could have gotten the help he needed with no blood shed. Very sad indeed!
 

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