The Raw Story – by David Edwards
A family in Georgia said this week that a police officer should never have killed 17-year-old Christopher Roupe because he was only holding a video game controller, not a gun as authorities have claimed.
According to WSB-TV, Roupe had been shot to death on Friday when Euharlee officers showed up at his home to serve a probation violation warrant on his father. The officer later told state investigators that she was forced to shoot because Roupe had pointed at gun at her when he opened the door.
But Roupe’s family and witnesses who were at the scene said that the officer’s statement was just not true.
Attorney Cole Law, who is representing the family, told WSB-TV that the boy was holding a Wii video game controller because he was getting ready to watch a movie.
“It just doesn’t add up,” Law observed. “We don’t know where that statement came from. The eyewitnesses on the scene clearly state that he had a Wii controller in his hand. 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.”
Neighbor Tia Howard showed up after the shooting. She was also told that “there was a Wii remote in his hand and [the officer] shot him.”
Neighbor Ken Yates said that he saw the officer just after the Roupe was killed, and she appeared devastated.
“This is tragic,” Yates recalled. “She came out of this house. She put her head in her hands and she was sobbing. Supposedly, he opened the door with a BB gun and in my opinion I think he was playing a game with his neighborhood buddies.”
The Euharlee Police Department followed standard procedure and put the officer on administrative leave following the shooting. Evidence from the autopsy was being turned over to the Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney.
Roupe was an ROTC student at Woodland High School. His family said that he had planned to join the Marines. A funeral was scheduled for Friday.
The law firm representing Roupe’s family told Raw Story that it was too early to make a decision about a lawsuit.
Watch the video below from WSB-TV, broadcast Feb. 18, 2014.
David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he’s also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.
If you see the police coming anywhere near your house make sure you have the 12 gauge trained right on their stinking pig heads, because they’re there to kill you.
Or do we need four cop murders every week before you’re convinced that these badged freaks in blue are nothing other than a gang of steroid-addicted murderers?
It’s really unfortunate that the witnesses there weren’t armed. If people started returning fire on these self-righteous SOB’s, they wouldn’t be so bold to open fire on others. As for the bitch pig in this particular story, she should be executed for murder. Trigger happy cops are not a deterrent to crime, they are crimes against the people waiting to happen!
“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.”
This is EXACTLY how these murdering scumbag POS cops need to be dealt with!!!
Shot IMMEDIATELY in the chest upon opening the door!!!
Better yet, don’t even open the damn door. Shoot right THROUGH IT!!!
“The officer later told state investigators that she was forced to shoot because Roupe had pointed at gun at her when he opened the door.”
So the cop was a “she”? Was “she” having her period or something?