This whole thing is starting to hit very close to home. My home and yours, if your kids play with the realistic pellet pistols known as air-soft guns. If you have a male child between 10 and 20, he was in danger before of an accidental shooting by any policeman who might see him with one of these made to look real "toy" guns.
Now he is in danger of being JUSTIFIABLY KILLED even if the police know the gun is not real. Why? If Alito makes it to the Supreme Court, we already have an idea of how he will rule when the Christopher Penley case comes up in front of him. He will rule it is justifiable, even if the cops are told that the kid is brandishing an air soft gun.
That 15 year old kid in Florida who just committed suicide by cop? That was Christopher Penley.
Christopher was depressed, some say suicidal. He took a real looking gun to school and ended up pointing it at a cop. Classic case of "suicide by cop". Ordinarily, I would understand the officer's reaction. He was trained to do what he did under the circumstances. I would understand, but not like the action.
HOWEVER,
I just read an article on CNN.com, that stated the following:
"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.
Ralph Penley said when he arrived at the Millwee Middle School in suburban Orlando on Friday morning, he told Seminole County Sheriff`s deputies his son Christopher only had a replica pistol, CNN said. The boy`s younger brother says he told school officials the same thing."
Here's a link to the CNN.com story...
CNN
Apparently Christopher had painted gun to make it look more real, probably meaning that he painted over the orange tip of the barrel. According to the CNN article, another student thought the gun was real until he grabbed it and realized it was a fake.
That makes at least three people who knew it was an air soft. What do you want to bet the cops get a pass? If not now, at the end of the court chain if this thing comes up before Alito and company.
This means that no one in this country is safe from being murdered in cold blood by an over-trained hair triggered police officer, not even a depressed fifteen year old with an air soft gun whose parents are telling the cop that the gun is not real.
Before anyone decides to jump me on this, I understand that police have a damn tough job and have to make split second judgement calls of life and death. I understand this particular officer will probably be traumatized for life after this.
My point is that we have allowed a culture of shoot first, ask questions later mentality in our police departments that poses a mortal danger to all of us. The majority of police men and women are wonderful at their jobs. But they are trained to shoot to kill in circumstances such as this: which I understood until I read that the father had told the police it was an air soft gun. An air soft gun shoots oversize BB's and will leave a welt like a bee sting. A police weapon will kill you. And the next potential justice of the Supreme Court has already told us it is okay for the police to shoot kids.