TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Dad tried to warn police of fake gun

Written by

Trench Reynolds

in

In my blogging about Christopher Penley, the 8th grader from Florida who was shot by police while brandishing a pellet gun, I left out an important item. Christopher Penley’s father, Ralph Penley, tried to warn police that the gun his son was carrying was fake…

Eslinger said Friday it wasn’t until after the incident that authorities realized the weapon was only a pellet gun. But Nation said Saturday Ralph Penley told authorities it wasn’t a real gun on a cell phone as he rushed to the school after hearing of the incident. Nation said police wouldn’t let Ralph Penley inside when he arrived.

“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.”

However, Nation said he didn’t know the precise timeline of events, including whether Christopher had died before Ralph Penley arrived. He said he’d be investigating the incident further.

Seminole County Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Lemma said Sunday the department had no immediate comment on Nation’s statement.

However, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday that Eslinger said Ralph Penley wasn’t told of the events until after his son was shot.

“It’s a total misunderstanding,” Eslinger told the newspaper.

Source.

Comments

7 responses to “Dad tried to warn police of fake gun”

  1. Magnolia Avatar
    Magnolia

    With all due respect and sympathy to the Penleys,the fact is,we don’t train our LEO’s to second guess whether or not the gun is real.The young man was committing a crime. The LEO did his job. He has to live with the knowledge that he shot and killed a child,for the rest of his life. As a mom,even if my son had a real gun,I would lie through my teeth ,swearing it was a toy,hoping to avoid an outcome like this.Also,as a parent,if LE hadn’t done their job,and this turned out the way it has in the past,and my son were killed by another student…I would be all over LE. They are damned if they do,and damned if they don’t. I have great sympathy for those officers caught up in this madness.

    Reply
  2. MachinistScott Avatar
    MachinistScott

    I’m certainly not defending the boys actions.
    Far be it from me to 2nd Guess our heroic SWAT officers.:roll:
    However, might I suggest some tear gas, stun grenades or a tazzer(there all the rage) next time SWAT is called to subdue a 15 year old child. Especially when no shots were fired and no one had been injured.
    How about letting the kids father try to talk to him?

    Reply
  3. Alyric Avatar
    Alyric

    However, might I suggest some tear gas…

    Tear gas is used before contact. When the shot that killed him was fired, he was pointing his gun at an officer. Even if they had tear gas ready, it wouldn’t have been an appropriate response.

    stun grenades…

    Same as the tear gas.

    or a tazzer(there all the rage)…

    …ignoring the glaring English errors…
    Even if he was in range, it’s too dangerous to use a tazer against an armed opponent. An electrical discharge causes muscles to spasm – he probably would have discharged the gun at least once, probably multiple times. (The fact that the gun wasn’t real is beside the point, as the officer had no way of being certain of that.)

    Especially when no shots were fired and no one had been injured.

    Yet.

    How about letting the kids father try to talk to him?

    In situations like these, letting the person talk to family is usually an absolute last resort – it can help, sometimes, but often it only makes things worse. Sometimes the person is just waiting for a chance to apologize and say goodbye. Never a good thing.

    All of your suggestions fail to take into account one simple fact. He raised his weapon at an officer and the officer reacted. In the end, it’s really just that simple.

    Reply
  4. MachinistScott Avatar
    MachinistScott

    What ever officer.
    Blog snob grammer nazi.

    G_ F_CK ___RS_LF.
    want to by a vowel

    Reply
  5. MachinistScott Avatar
    MachinistScott

    Officer Alryc,

    Talking with family is a last resort? Where did you get that horseshit. stupid beyond belief.

    Exactly how long does it take to prepare teargas? Since your such a frign’ expert.

    Don’t bother to reply. I will not be back. This blog is about as Entertaining as an Impacted molar and as Informative as a Catsup bottle.

    Sorry Trench, your minion is a little to much to take. No offence

    Reply
  6. sgtmac_46 Avatar
    sgtmac_46

    The obvious question that comes to mind is
    this….How did the father know the
    gun wasn’t real? Because he knew
    his son had painted a pellet gun in the
    past? He was just assuming it was the
    same gun, unless he was standing right
    there with his son. His father did not
    ‘Know’ the gun was the pellet gun, he
    was merely guessing.

    Reply
  7. Alyric Avatar
    Alyric

    Officer Alryc,

    🙄

    Talking with family is a last resort? Where did you get that horseshit.

    Directly from S.W.A.T. standard procedures. For exactly the reasons I mentioned above. The same also applies to hostage negotiators.

    Exactly how long does it take to prepare teargas? Since your such a frign’ expert.

    Ignoring the glaring errors again…
    More than a split second. The decision to shoot the kid was made in less than a second – he was pointing a gun at an officer.

    For the record, tear gas isn’t appropriate in every situation, either. I’m not sure where he was shot, but if the area was too confined – or if he was outside and the weather was inappropriate, it would have been useless. And that’s assuming it was used before he pointed his gun at an officer.

    Don’t bother to reply. I will not be back. This blog is about as Entertaining as an Impacted molar and as Informative as a Catsup bottle.

    Then why bother posting in the first place?

    Sorry Trench, your minion is a little to much to take. No offence

    🙄 I’m sure he’s heart-broken. Trolls can never stand their arguments being refuted intelligently.

    I’ll repeat myself. He raised his weapon at an officer and the officer reacted. In the end, it’s really just that simple.

    Reply

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