LONGWOOD, Fla. - It was in an instant, with a SWAT team surrounding him, that Christopher David Penley slipped into an alcove in a school bathroom and raised what officers believed was a black 9 mm Beretta handgun, authorities said. Moments later, a deputy shot him.
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Penley, 15, who was on advanced life support Friday night, was holding what turned out to be a pellet gun, authorities said. Earlier, he had pointed the weapon at another student at suburban Orlando's Milwee Middle School, then traversed the campus before ending up in the bathroom confrontation, investigators said.
At a news conference after the shooting, authorities put the weapon side-by-side with a Beretta. It appeared to have black paint covering the red or pink markings on the muzzle that may have indicated to officers that it was a nonlethal weapon.
"As you can see, it doesn't take a professional to see how close this looks to the real thing. I would not be able to tell the difference," said Joyce Dawley, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent in charge of the investigation.
Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said the incident began about 9:38 a.m., when another student saw Penley with the weapon and struggled with him for it. Pointing the gun at the other student's back, Penley directed him to a closet, dimmed the lights and left the classroom, Eslinger said.
The school went into lockdown.
From there, the sheriff said, he "traveled with this firearm throughout the campus" before ending up in a bathroom. By then, more than 40 officers, including SWAT and negotiators, were on scene. He refused to drop the firearm, Eslinger said.
"During this standoff, and during the chase, the student said he was going to kill himself or die," Eslinger said.
Phone calls to Penley's home were not answered, and a person who answered the door declined comment.
Those who know Penley say he was unhappy and being bullied at school. He had run away from home several times, said Kelly Swofford, a neighbor whose 11-year-old son was friends with Penley.
"He said he had something planned," said Jeffery Swofford, 11. "He said `I hope I die today because I don't really like my life.'"
He also said that Penley was in a disagreement with someone, allegedly over a girl. There was going to be a fight Friday, he said. "I heard a rumor that he had a BB gun, but I didn't think he really had one," he added.
Classes were canceled for the rest of the day, buses were called in early and parents who saw live television news coverage hurried to pick up their children. Resource officers were called to consult with faculty, and social workers were on scene to talk with children who remained waiting for a ride.
Sarah Tivy, a 12-year-old seventh grader, said some students were frightened during the incident, but she was calm.
"I just figured that if someone is going to bring a gun to school, then they need to be taken out of school," she said.
Marie Hargis, whose 14-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter go to Milwee, stood in front of the school with a sign that read "Stop the violence."
"My youngest daughter is just very emotionally messed up," she said. "She started crying and said, `Mommy, I don't want to go back.' They should not fear having to go to school."
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Penley, 15, who was on advanced life support Friday night, was holding what turned out to be a pellet gun, authorities said. Earlier, he had pointed the weapon at another student at suburban Orlando's Milwee Middle School, then traversed the campus before ending up in the bathroom confrontation, investigators said.
At a news conference after the shooting, authorities put the weapon side-by-side with a Beretta. It appeared to have black paint covering the red or pink markings on the muzzle that may have indicated to officers that it was a nonlethal weapon.
"As you can see, it doesn't take a professional to see how close this looks to the real thing. I would not be able to tell the difference," said Joyce Dawley, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent in charge of the investigation.
Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said the incident began about 9:38 a.m., when another student saw Penley with the weapon and struggled with him for it. Pointing the gun at the other student's back, Penley directed him to a closet, dimmed the lights and left the classroom, Eslinger said.
The school went into lockdown.
From there, the sheriff said, he "traveled with this firearm throughout the campus" before ending up in a bathroom. By then, more than 40 officers, including SWAT and negotiators, were on scene. He refused to drop the firearm, Eslinger said.
"During this standoff, and during the chase, the student said he was going to kill himself or die," Eslinger said.
Phone calls to Penley's home were not answered, and a person who answered the door declined comment.
Those who know Penley say he was unhappy and being bullied at school. He had run away from home several times, said Kelly Swofford, a neighbor whose 11-year-old son was friends with Penley.
"He said he had something planned," said Jeffery Swofford, 11. "He said `I hope I die today because I don't really like my life.'"
He also said that Penley was in a disagreement with someone, allegedly over a girl. There was going to be a fight Friday, he said. "I heard a rumor that he had a BB gun, but I didn't think he really had one," he added.
Classes were canceled for the rest of the day, buses were called in early and parents who saw live television news coverage hurried to pick up their children. Resource officers were called to consult with faculty, and social workers were on scene to talk with children who remained waiting for a ride.
Sarah Tivy, a 12-year-old seventh grader, said some students were frightened during the incident, but she was calm.
"I just figured that if someone is going to bring a gun to school, then they need to be taken out of school," she said.
Marie Hargis, whose 14-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter go to Milwee, stood in front of the school with a sign that read "Stop the violence."
"My youngest daughter is just very emotionally messed up," she said. "She started crying and said, `Mommy, I don't want to go back.' They should not fear having to go to school."
