SWAT Team Shoots Suicidal Fla. Student

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » 1/13/2006, 12:04 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060113/ap_ ... _evacuated

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/13/2006, 12:22 pm

they ... but ...

A SWAT team should be able to take down a 15 year old with non-lethal force. What the FUCK? I can understand that they needed to keep the hostage safe, but don't they have anything other than guns? holy crap.

I'm assuming that they just shot him in the leg or something, which I guess isn't too bad all things considered. But still ... damn.

What the hell drives a 15-year-old to suicide and taking a hostage?

:no:

nikki4982 · Post by **nikki4982** » 1/13/2006, 12:46 pm

That's incredibly sad, but if he took a hostage... I can understand how it got so far.

thirdhour · Post by **thirdhour** » 1/13/2006, 1:17 pm

The article wasn't clear on the kid's condition, but if they shot him anywhere near any vital organs, I'd find that disgusting on their part. This kid obviously has some very serious mental problems and needs help.

Also, isn't that what tasers were invented for?

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/13/2006, 1:45 pm

Yes but Yannic, what good is a taser when somone is threatening an officer with a gun?

Though, the Tact squad could have easily used non-lethal force to stop him. Flashbangs for example would have been ideal in that situation.

thirdhour · Post by **thirdhour** » 1/13/2006, 1:49 pm

I don't know what flashbangs are, but tasers bring a suspect to the ground so that they can be brought under control. You have to be pretty close though (6.5 meters).

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/13/2006, 1:52 pm

Flashbangs stun you. One or two of those would have stunned the boy long enough to bring him into custody.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/13/2006, 2:36 pm

We really do not know how the situation went down. I'm sure that if a SWAT team felt they were in the tactical situation to use flashbangs or tasers they would have.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/13/2006, 5:43 pm

I heard an updated report earlier. Apparently the kid had taken one other boy hostage, then left him and ran across the school grounds. They ended up in something of a "showdown" in a bathroom, and one of the SWAT people shot him when the boy started to raise his gun.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » 1/13/2006, 8:59 pm

any idea how injured he is? I can't figure out where (on his body) he was shot and how he's doing.

So he didn't have the hostage at the time, but he raised his gun and they shot him?

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/13/2006, 9:00 pm

That's what I got from the news report.

Smooke · Post by **Smooke** » 1/14/2006, 12:29 am

http://www.policemag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1652 <--some Force Continuum stuff there.

http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Aven ... undrum.pdf <--Very good info on why Police use force.

happening fish · Post by **happening fish** » 1/14/2006, 2:21 am

I thought it was standard procedure to fire if the assailant pulls a firearm on the authorities.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/14/2006, 2:45 am

It is.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » 1/14/2006, 7:34 am

Turns out it was a pellet gun, but it looked like a handgun. And the kid is on life support.

<i>LONGWOOD, Fla. - It was in an instant, with a SWAT team surrounding him, that Christopher David Penley slipped into an alcove in a school bathroom and raised what officers believed was a black 9 mm Beretta handgun, authorities said. Moments later, a deputy shot him.

Penley, 15, who was on advanced life support Friday night, was holding what turned out to be a pellet gun, authorities said. Earlier, he had pointed the weapon at another student at suburban Orlando's Milwee Middle School, then traversed the campus before ending up in the bathroom confrontation, investigators said. </i>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060114/ap_ ... _evacuated

closeyoureyes · Post by **closeyoureyes** » 1/14/2006, 12:33 pm

I don't think its the SWAT teams fault. They're probably at max stress level as it is, with there being terrorist levels up and down, and then a hostage taking with some kid with (what looked like) a gun.

Also, the kid couldn't have been suicidal with a frikken pellet gun.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » 1/14/2006, 12:40 pm

the gun looked real, so I don't blame them for taking action.

He said he wanted to die that day... but he obviously wasn't going to kill himself. Was his plan to get shot by police after pretending to have a weapon at school??

nikki4982 · Post by **nikki4982** » 1/14/2006, 12:44 pm

Could be. Or could've just been a cry for attention.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » 1/14/2006, 12:54 pm

well he's certainly gotten the attention of a lot of people. I hope he gets better (physically and otherwise)

closeyoureyes · Post by **closeyoureyes** » 1/14/2006, 12:58 pm

Kathy14 wrote: Was his plan to get shot by police after pretending to have a weapon at school??

No Way. Theres no way a 15 yearold boy is that smart and planned.