A Georgia family is in shock following the death of their 17-year-old son, who was accidentally killed by a police officer who believed the video game controller he was holding was a gun, according to the family’s lawyer.
Christopher Roupe of Euharlee, Georgia heard a knock at the door of the family’s home last Friday night. Upon opening the door, he was immediately shot by a female police officer.
Roupe was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital.
The officer broke down it tears upon realizing her mistake, according to The New York Daily News.
She had been making a probation-related visit to the home. She thought Roupe was holding a gun, according to a statement from the police department.
Cole Law, the family’s attorney, said he believes that the officer did mistake Roupe’s video game controller for a weapon. Roupe was holding a remote controller for the Nintendo Wii when he opened the door, according to Law.
Standard-issue Wii controllers are white cylinders, but specialty controllers shaped like guns do exist. It is not yet known what type of controller Roupe possessed. (RELATED: Update: Texas teen faces 8 years in prison over Facebook comment)
Neighbors confirmed that Roupe had a Wii controller, not a gun, according to Law.
“The eyewitnesses on the scene clearly state that he had a Wii controller in his hand,” said Law, according to WSB-TV. “He heard a knock at the door. He asked who it was, there was no response so he opened the door and upon opening the door he was immediately shot in the chest.”
Roupe had plans to enlist in the Marines after finishing high school. He was involved in the ROTC program at his high school.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the police department investigates the matter. The family will likely file suit against the department.
She must have had her gun out when she rang the door bell or knocked, Why ? and when asked who was there why no response from her announcing she was a cop ?
something stinks here. very badly
He was NOT accidentally killed. She fired her gun, therefore she meant to kill him.
Teach your family not to open the door for a stranger, and nothing is stranger than a gun-weilding [person] in a silly costume.
This is our well trained police force, why was her gun even drawn in the first place. This was suppose to be a probation related call, BS. These cops get to write the report while our citizens get to be put into a grave. Everyday I read a story very similar to this story, it is getting to be an old sad story. Why should cops be allowed to carry guns in the first place? People will tell you to protect themselves from criminals and that makes perfect sense. That is the same reason our founders wrote our Second Amendment so the average citizen could protect themselves, including our government which our police force is a very large part of. Remember this young man was in his home, for him to answer the door with a gun does not pass the smell test something else happened there but do not expect the truth from these so called public servants!
It seems likely he might have been shot even if he had NOTHING in his hand.
As has been said why did she already have her gun out? She must have been
"ready for trouble" and intending to shoot.
Likely it will be whitewashed and shoved under the LEO table.
DO NOT file suit against the "department".
It was an act OUTSIDE the official duties assigned to the cop.
It was HER MISTAKE, as well as those in supervisary positions above her.
The taxpayers should not be held accountable for the actions of a poorly trained, ill-equipped police officer.
Take the loss out of everything the incompetent government employee own, NOT the Taxpayers.
Take their homes, all personal property of value, any and all retirement benefits.
Hold the BAD government EMPLOYEES responsible for their own INCOMPETENCE!
I have to wonder why they did not expect a gun in their face when the refused to announce who was at the door. If the people start shooting first maybe they will start behaving a little.
Police officers wear a vest, and panic. Under these type conditions they should let the home owner shoot first. 95% of the time no shots would be fired.
EVEN IF THE BOY DID HAVE A GUN, THAT IS STILL NO CAUSE TO SHOOT SOMEONE. THE CONSTITUTION 2 ND AMENDMENT GIVES US AUTHORITY TO CARRY. A PERSON ALWAYS HAS TO BE SURE OF THE TARGET. THIS OFFICER WAS NOT SURE AND HAS TO BE REMOVED. YOU CAN NOT UNKILL A PERSON AFTER YOU KILL HIM FOR THERE IS NO GOING BACK. THE HOME OWNER WOULD HAVE BEEN ACTING IN SELF DEFENSE IN SHOOTING THE OFFICER
Since we now live in The MSA, the Marxist State of America, we will be hearing stories like this on a daily basis. Withe the President and his Puppet Master at the controls, the blood of Americans will be burning in the streets.
This officer should never wear the uniform again and I hope that the family sues the town where this happened for every penny they have. There is absolutely no excuse for an officer to have her gun drawn when the door to the house was opened. What is a young child 3 or 4 years old has been holding the same remote controller. That child would be dead today. This officer has no business on the police force and that police force needs to immediately implement new training for every office on the force as to where the use of lethal force, or even drawing the weapon for that matter, is authorized and appropriate. It really makes you wonder about the hiring practices of a lot of these so-called law enforcement agencies.
Hear, hear! I'm getting really tired of the immunity that agents of the gov enjoy. When there is a settlement (instead of the offending party going to jail, which would be proper) the money comes from the taxpayers…wow, talk about "heads we win, tails you lose".
The town shouldn't be sued–read CrustyOldGeezer above. The "town" is just all the taxpayers in it, including the victim's family. They shouldn't be penalized. Have the INDIVIDUAL gov agents pay, from the mayor and chief of police on down to the offending officer. Have the payments taken out of THEIR hides, not the taxpayers'.
We have a right to expect more from LEO's. I would hate to think I could be in my home cleaning a gun, have it in hand and answer the door to face an officer who blows me away. She should be out of law enforcement and the department needs a complete rethink of these visits. Maybe, at a minimum, some good in terms of preventing a reoccurence can come about. How about a phone call saying there is an officer at your curb for a probation visit. Can you present yourself ? Is there an element of surprise they are trying to effect ? If so, it sure isn't working is it ?
Aren't those idiots in blue stupid suits supposed to be alert to their surroundings. She should be put in Gen. Pop at the nearest prison till being tried for murder.
They're cowards. That's been obvious for so long now.
"The officer broke down it tears upon realizing her mistake…"
Crocodile tears, no doubt. And always the same parrotting from the police chiefs: "The officer acted in accordance with departmental policy…felt her life was in danger…administrative leave with pay…the matter under investigation…"
wake up!!!!!! they are NOT on our (your) side !!! they are not your friend !!! get use to it and in our dear leaders word "embrace the suck"
The officer should be arrested, tried and sent to prison for life.
Thank you, David. You have spoken correctly.
Women policemen are dangerous because when they say they fired their gun it was because they were scared and most juries will buy that. They probably were scared. And they do get away with murder. Why are women allowed to be cops? It is a joke and waste of taxpayer money. You don't see personal bodyguards who are 5''6" tall.
Nonsense. This government thug should be executed for murder (premeditated since it had gun in hand). Failing that, it should never be allowed to wear anything but a prison uniform.
Welcome to the new USA. Citizens beware, your government is here to help you. UGH !
Cops arrest woman for jogging without ID in Austin, apparently, you don't need ID to vote, but you definately need one to jog. http://libertycrier.com/austin-police-drag-jogger…
Just more evidence of how far out of control our police forces are given the ok by Obama. Indirect, but nevertheless, Obama is responsible for creating paranoia with all the illegal things he is doing; they are police officers and know the President proposes to kill Americans if any kind of unrest breaks out over him rolling over everyone and every thing involved with his Power Grab. Why else would all his departments, including the US Postal Service ordering millions of rounds bullets and more than likely the guns also. No President in our history had made a gun and munitions grab like this Ultimately, he is responsible for the fearful attitudes of cops who are killing more people. Guns were not drawn in the past unless a policeman has a reason to believe someone was going to shoot her. We will see more and more of this type stuff as the country becomes more & and more treated like we live in a dictatorship and that Obama is the Dictator.
Fear or murderous mind-set when police see (or think they see) a gun is disastrous. Citizens defense of their homes usually begins at the door. Cops must change their mind-set….
I'M AN EX FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR FOR THE DOJ. I TEACH HOW TO IDENTIFY A GUN IN SOMEONES HAND. A WII CONTROLLER IS LONG AND SCUARE AND WHITE. THIS COP MUREDERD THIS YOUNG TEEN. SHE IS OBLIGATED TO SAY POLICE WHEN ASKED WHO'S THERE. SHE WAS SILENT. SHE MUST HAVE BEEN A ROUKIE. DOING A MINOR PROBATION CALL AT YOUR DOOR, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR GUN OUT AND READY TO SHOOT SOMEONE. SHE WAS PARIANOID AND LOST HER MENTAL CONTROL. SHE SHOULD BE CHARGED FOR MAN SLAUTER.
That bitch isn't worthy of being on a police force! She isn't qualified! Last time I looked a person can carry a remote control in his own home. He was opening the door for pete's sake!~ She has to serve some time! I demand it!
It takes just one generation to dumb down an entire nation for easier control of the citizenry. The hiring of Low IQ cops and soldiers, without the mental capacity to discern between good and evil, or right and wrong, is imperative. The ultimate proof of the dumb down (and corresponding lowered IQ) is 50 consecutive years of falling national average S.A.T. scores
All I can say is that this is certainly shocking behavior on the part of a supposed LEO. Who is training these people these days? Seems they are teaching them to shoot first, ask questions later. Something is wrong with the training. I hear things like this all the time, far more than in decades past.
She should never been allowed to become a cop. she needs to go to jail!
according to what i read… and correct me if im wrong.. the cop had her gun drawn when the kid opened the door, so it seems to me the intent was to shoot first and ask questions later
Yes, today! Her pension and retirement should be given to the parents, they deserve at least that. The criminal cop should go to jail, in general population!
The family certainly should file suit against the department, and I hope they get multiple millions of dollars out of them. I see more and more of this stuff and it makes me mad.
In a week or a month or whatever this story will have been dropped from the news. The police will play this down as much as is humanly possible and issue a report after months and months of "study". The only follow up will be a lawsuit or the threat of one and an out of court settlement (since the police do not want this played out in court with adverse publicity). The settlement will tamp down any public comment by any party (i.e. the claimants). That will be the way the system will work.
You are right! An officer is not supposed to have threir gun out unless they expect a violent response to their visit. She had to have the gun out for this to go wrong so fast. This is the result of lowering mental and physical standards to make police forces more "diverse", and innocent people pay the price.
It says he planned to enlist in the Marines after high school, 30 years ago, if you had a brush with the law, the Marines was the choice you got instead of prison, now you would be very lucky to get into the Marines with any slight brush with the law, yet she was going there for a probation issue. He was also involved with ROTC, this would make him officer material, again not someone that had had a brush with the law. That doesn't make sense to me.
Why was the gun happy bitch at the door in the first place. I truly hope this family owns her ass and the police department that has such jumpy cops like this insane turd!
Disgusting how our society has become with hysterical cops afraid of their own shadows, poorly trained and under educated.
Google "nintendo wii controller gun" and up hundreds of special Wii controllers in different gun shapes and colors. Even a regular black controller could be mistaken by a panicky police officer. WHY didn't she shout LOUDLY, "Hello, this is the POLICE! Knock Knock!. Even then he still might have answered the door with the remote, not realizing what could happen. Police officers should ALWAYS have to shout their presence loudly at the door, TWICE. The only reason why NOT to knock is if there is a "no knock" warrant.
American society is UNRAVELING. All the bonds and traditions that allow people in a society to trust each other and their elected government officials whose purpose it is to help and defend them, have all been degraded or destroyed. Most of this was started by marxists / progressives who decades ago began deliberately to break down peoples trust in institutions like the church, schools, family structure, etc. This is the result. Any other country in the WORLD where neighborhood police are SO paranoid that they feel they have to use targets of young pregnant woman to shoot? I think not. America is UNRAVELED. Good luck to everyone.