Bad News for Criminals and Otherwise, Police Shoot to Kill
Last Friday a suicidal 15 year old at Milwee Middle School, determined to kill himself, tragically accomplished his goal. Toting an air pistol designed to shoot plastic bbs, Christopher David Penley successfully tricked those around him into believing that the firearm he carried was real, claiming that he would kill himself somehow, according to witnesses. When one of his classmates attempted to wrestle the gun from Penley’s hands, the student reportedly noticed that the gun began to fall apart, as would a typical plastic toy under stress. Penley fled his classroom and barricaded himself in a bathroom where he was cornered; meanwhile, the classmate who discovered the truth about Penley’s weapon informed school officials of the facts as did his family. SWAT team members attempted to communicate with Penley, but the youth merely told them that his name was “Chris.” Soon after, Penley walked out of the bathroom and pointed his mock 9mm Beretta at a SWAT team member who shot and mortally wounded him. Today, the 15 year old is inoperable and on life support whilst his organs await donation. With the aid of his clever deception, Penley successfully duped the police into killing him.
I felt that the story above needed to be cleared up, especially in regards to the policies and guidelines by which officers are to abide. It seems Orlando and the entirety of Florida has entered a new era of safety, due to the outstanding use of unnecessary force by Florida law enforcement. Any look at the news will demonstrate this on occasion. Apparent in the aforementioned story and in many others, Florida police agencies are continually and methodically dismissing the archaic and dauntingly rational ideas of discretion. This is indeed the 21st century, an age of information, thought, and truly blind justice. The event I have described above is more than just a tale of one police officer’s incredible bravery and selflessness; it’s a testament to the civilian population. Like a shinny new tin sign posted at the chain link gates of Florida, the statement inscribed reads, “Criminals beware, if we shoot unarmed innocent people in the name of justice, imagine what we might do to you.” Still, I have come to the realization that some Floridians are less than sympathetic to the new policies, particularly Penley’s father, who told the school his son’s weapon was a fake before he was shot and killed. To confront these feelings, I decided to ask some tough questions of law enforcement, as to dispel the fears and misconceptions of distrustful citizens, like Penley’s father. The following is a transcribed interview with SWAT team spokesperson, Donavan E. Hope, elaborated on intertextually by myself.
Morgan: “Suicide is in effect, a very serious crime and seems to be occurring more frequently. Could you please explain the policies in place that describe the proper procedure an officer on the scene should perform in a suicide scenario?”
Hope: “First of all, anyone out there thinking of killing themselves in public better start rethinking their plan, because if our men are on the scene, we are going to keep you from killing yourself by any means possible. Suicide is murder, and if we can prevent a murder, then we have done our job.”
The Mr. Hope’s logic was becoming more lucid. Penley had stated that it was his intent to kill himself, so the logic follows that the officers realized they could have to kill him in order to prevent him from killing himself. I went on:
Morgan: “I think another question on the minds of our readers is, did the SWAT team member know that the gun was in fact a fake before he shot and killed Penley?”
Hope: “Well I am not really sure, but I can tell you this, either the school didn’t do their job by neglecting to let us in on this, or the SWAT member knew but still felt his life was endangered….ok, maybe not his ‘life’ per se, but his eyes perhaps, if he wasn’t wearing sunglasses. Do you know how easily a plastic projectile can damage your eye? Granted we have two of them, and they are the fastest healing part of a human body, but eyes are important, especially in our line of work. Have you ever tried to plant evidence or shoot someone to death with one eye closed? It’s hard enough using both eyes ‘cause we are so busy averting them from reality.”
It was then clear above all else that what had transpired on Friday had been the result of one of two possibilities. The first is that Penley’s death was due to a mistake made by the school, to which any and all blame should be concentrated and averted from the police, who in addition never plant evidence, accept bribes or shoot innocent people with complete disregard for discretion. The second was that the police did know that the gun was a fake but feared for the safety of their eyes, and decided to take Penley down anyway. The truth about the gun notwithstanding, I wondered whether the police had the opportunity to contemplate the event unfolding before them and determine that Penley was not a threat. I questioned my interviewee about this and soon realized the ridiculousness of my query.
Morgan: “Alright Mr. Hope, I think it is important to acknowledge the clues that could have been utilized in the situation to determine that Penley was not a true threat to anyone. If the weapon had been real, why did he go to school with it? It’s a lot easier to kill yourself at home than at school. And, if he were a real threat, wouldn’t he have fired a few shots at the bullies who continually mocked him at school? The perpetrators at Columbine fired on their classmates but Penley did not. Did anyone, to your knowledge, ponder the meaning behind his deviation from the shootings in the past?”
Hope: “No.”
Morgan: “No? After all, this child had no previous record of violence, and failed to fit the profile of any of the other students who have taken weapons to school in the past. At Columbine, the police noticed that-”
Hope: “Look, at Columbine the police didn’t even enter the school because the perps were hostile and firing at anything that moved. Attempting to stop them from shooting up their school and killing their classmates would have placed many policemen in immediate danger. Just because we go through strict training procedures involving tactical weapon use in urban settings and wear protective flack jackets that are capable of stopping rounds from a 9mm submachine gun doesn’t mean we are invincible. We are supposed to serve and protect you know, but we need to worry about our safety too. So…a few more students died while SWAT officers sat outside Columbine and waited it out instead of actually doing something. No one expected us to actually go in there and stop them, did they? I mean come on! -- they were kids with real guns. Now, uh, unfortunately, what happened on Friday was different, the kid didn’t fire a single shot, and the gun was a fake, so we were ….I want to say clueless…”
Morgan: “Improvising?”
Hope: “That works I guess. It was a unique situation, but the officer’s life was or could have, but wasn’t at all on the line, so he did what was or could have been, but wasn’t necessary.”
Morgan: “And what might have been necessary was…?”
Hope: “Shooting first and asking questions later of course.”
At this point I was in awe. All the questions and broodings in my mind about accidental shootings and police discretion were dissipating, leaving me with a sense of immediate comprehension. We should ignore any hint of irrational or unjustified behavior on the part of the police because if we do not, things might get done, policies might change, and change is historically bad. My final question revolved around the possibility of an event like this ever taking place again. I asked, “How many suicidal individuals have ever pointed or fired a gun at police officers before being shot in the past.” At this point Mr. Hope chuckled a little before he replied; “All of them.” I urged him to explain. “In fact, they don’t even need a weapon, a banana or purse will do…previous criminal records help also. Let’s say you’re an officer and you shoot some innocent fool in the back because he is running away from you. You don’t want to get in trouble so you uh….you adjust the facts and create the truth. Some officers like to claim that they thought they saw a weapon in the perp’s hand. I prefer the, “he was reaching at his waist” approach. That kind of statement avoids outside scrutiny, especially if he has nothing even resembling a weapon on him. Ok, so then we prance over and dump a handful of confiscated crack all over his face and speed back to the station. It is at this point that we partake in our favorite activity, the bad rap scavenger hunt! We search through our files for any dirt on the guy we just wasted and when we find it, we immediately submit it to the 6 o’clock news. First cop to find a criminal background on the innocent man we just killed and publicize it wins.”
Eureka! The spokesman’s testimony had not only shed light on this one unique crime, but also served to explain the actions involved in numerous other police vs. [insert non-guilty possible suspect carrying unidentified object here]. Discretion takes too long and involves calculated thinking that hinders ones ability to shoot and kill an innocent, but possibly dangerous individual. If innocent people don’t want to be killed, they need to stay out of bad neighborhoods and follow a police officer’s orders perfectly. If they are too drunk, young or mentally incapable to comply, then it is up to the officer whether punishment is dealt. And if this means that some truly innocent people get killed, well then they die honorably in the name of justice in a few cases. Voltaire once said that it was, “better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.” Had Voltaire been an esteemed officer of the law, he would have seen things a little bit differently.
I felt that the story above needed to be cleared up, especially in regards to the policies and guidelines by which officers are to abide. It seems Orlando and the entirety of Florida has entered a new era of safety, due to the outstanding use of unnecessary force by Florida law enforcement. Any look at the news will demonstrate this on occasion. Apparent in the aforementioned story and in many others, Florida police agencies are continually and methodically dismissing the archaic and dauntingly rational ideas of discretion. This is indeed the 21st century, an age of information, thought, and truly blind justice. The event I have described above is more than just a tale of one police officer’s incredible bravery and selflessness; it’s a testament to the civilian population. Like a shinny new tin sign posted at the chain link gates of Florida, the statement inscribed reads, “Criminals beware, if we shoot unarmed innocent people in the name of justice, imagine what we might do to you.” Still, I have come to the realization that some Floridians are less than sympathetic to the new policies, particularly Penley’s father, who told the school his son’s weapon was a fake before he was shot and killed. To confront these feelings, I decided to ask some tough questions of law enforcement, as to dispel the fears and misconceptions of distrustful citizens, like Penley’s father. The following is a transcribed interview with SWAT team spokesperson, Donavan E. Hope, elaborated on intertextually by myself.
Morgan: “Suicide is in effect, a very serious crime and seems to be occurring more frequently. Could you please explain the policies in place that describe the proper procedure an officer on the scene should perform in a suicide scenario?”
Hope: “First of all, anyone out there thinking of killing themselves in public better start rethinking their plan, because if our men are on the scene, we are going to keep you from killing yourself by any means possible. Suicide is murder, and if we can prevent a murder, then we have done our job.”
The Mr. Hope’s logic was becoming more lucid. Penley had stated that it was his intent to kill himself, so the logic follows that the officers realized they could have to kill him in order to prevent him from killing himself. I went on:
Morgan: “I think another question on the minds of our readers is, did the SWAT team member know that the gun was in fact a fake before he shot and killed Penley?”
Hope: “Well I am not really sure, but I can tell you this, either the school didn’t do their job by neglecting to let us in on this, or the SWAT member knew but still felt his life was endangered….ok, maybe not his ‘life’ per se, but his eyes perhaps, if he wasn’t wearing sunglasses. Do you know how easily a plastic projectile can damage your eye? Granted we have two of them, and they are the fastest healing part of a human body, but eyes are important, especially in our line of work. Have you ever tried to plant evidence or shoot someone to death with one eye closed? It’s hard enough using both eyes ‘cause we are so busy averting them from reality.”
It was then clear above all else that what had transpired on Friday had been the result of one of two possibilities. The first is that Penley’s death was due to a mistake made by the school, to which any and all blame should be concentrated and averted from the police, who in addition never plant evidence, accept bribes or shoot innocent people with complete disregard for discretion. The second was that the police did know that the gun was a fake but feared for the safety of their eyes, and decided to take Penley down anyway. The truth about the gun notwithstanding, I wondered whether the police had the opportunity to contemplate the event unfolding before them and determine that Penley was not a threat. I questioned my interviewee about this and soon realized the ridiculousness of my query.
Morgan: “Alright Mr. Hope, I think it is important to acknowledge the clues that could have been utilized in the situation to determine that Penley was not a true threat to anyone. If the weapon had been real, why did he go to school with it? It’s a lot easier to kill yourself at home than at school. And, if he were a real threat, wouldn’t he have fired a few shots at the bullies who continually mocked him at school? The perpetrators at Columbine fired on their classmates but Penley did not. Did anyone, to your knowledge, ponder the meaning behind his deviation from the shootings in the past?”
Hope: “No.”
Morgan: “No? After all, this child had no previous record of violence, and failed to fit the profile of any of the other students who have taken weapons to school in the past. At Columbine, the police noticed that-”
Hope: “Look, at Columbine the police didn’t even enter the school because the perps were hostile and firing at anything that moved. Attempting to stop them from shooting up their school and killing their classmates would have placed many policemen in immediate danger. Just because we go through strict training procedures involving tactical weapon use in urban settings and wear protective flack jackets that are capable of stopping rounds from a 9mm submachine gun doesn’t mean we are invincible. We are supposed to serve and protect you know, but we need to worry about our safety too. So…a few more students died while SWAT officers sat outside Columbine and waited it out instead of actually doing something. No one expected us to actually go in there and stop them, did they? I mean come on! -- they were kids with real guns. Now, uh, unfortunately, what happened on Friday was different, the kid didn’t fire a single shot, and the gun was a fake, so we were ….I want to say clueless…”
Morgan: “Improvising?”
Hope: “That works I guess. It was a unique situation, but the officer’s life was or could have, but wasn’t at all on the line, so he did what was or could have been, but wasn’t necessary.”
Morgan: “And what might have been necessary was…?”
Hope: “Shooting first and asking questions later of course.”
At this point I was in awe. All the questions and broodings in my mind about accidental shootings and police discretion were dissipating, leaving me with a sense of immediate comprehension. We should ignore any hint of irrational or unjustified behavior on the part of the police because if we do not, things might get done, policies might change, and change is historically bad. My final question revolved around the possibility of an event like this ever taking place again. I asked, “How many suicidal individuals have ever pointed or fired a gun at police officers before being shot in the past.” At this point Mr. Hope chuckled a little before he replied; “All of them.” I urged him to explain. “In fact, they don’t even need a weapon, a banana or purse will do…previous criminal records help also. Let’s say you’re an officer and you shoot some innocent fool in the back because he is running away from you. You don’t want to get in trouble so you uh….you adjust the facts and create the truth. Some officers like to claim that they thought they saw a weapon in the perp’s hand. I prefer the, “he was reaching at his waist” approach. That kind of statement avoids outside scrutiny, especially if he has nothing even resembling a weapon on him. Ok, so then we prance over and dump a handful of confiscated crack all over his face and speed back to the station. It is at this point that we partake in our favorite activity, the bad rap scavenger hunt! We search through our files for any dirt on the guy we just wasted and when we find it, we immediately submit it to the 6 o’clock news. First cop to find a criminal background on the innocent man we just killed and publicize it wins.”
Eureka! The spokesman’s testimony had not only shed light on this one unique crime, but also served to explain the actions involved in numerous other police vs. [insert non-guilty possible suspect carrying unidentified object here]. Discretion takes too long and involves calculated thinking that hinders ones ability to shoot and kill an innocent, but possibly dangerous individual. If innocent people don’t want to be killed, they need to stay out of bad neighborhoods and follow a police officer’s orders perfectly. If they are too drunk, young or mentally incapable to comply, then it is up to the officer whether punishment is dealt. And if this means that some truly innocent people get killed, well then they die honorably in the name of justice in a few cases. Voltaire once said that it was, “better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.” Had Voltaire been an esteemed officer of the law, he would have seen things a little bit differently.