In the small town of Euharlee, Georgia, on a Friday evening, February 14, 2014, the life of 17-year-old Christopher Roupe was tragically cut short. The male teenager was at his family's mobile home when he was fatally shot in the chest by a police officer. Christopher, a high school student enrolled in the ROTC program with aspirations of joining the Marines, was about to watch a movie when the incident unfolded.
Two officers from the Euharlee Police Department had arrived at the residence to serve a probation violation warrant for Christopher's father. When a knock came at the door, Christopher, after asking who was there and receiving no response, opened it. In that moment, Corporal Beth Gatny, one of the officers on the scene, discharged her weapon, striking the teenager. He was transported to a hospital in Cartersville where he was pronounced dead.
The events that transpired in those few seconds became a subject of intense dispute. Corporal Gatny reported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that when Roupe opened the door, he was pointing a pistol at her. In contrast, the Roupe family's attorney and eyewitnesses maintained that the object in the young man's hand was not a firearm, but a white Nintendo Wii controller. A neighbor who rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshot also reported seeing a Wii remote in his hand. Another neighbor described the officer as being visibly distraught and sobbing immediately after the shooting.
The GBI was called in to investigate the fatal shooting, and Corporal Gatny was placed on administrative leave. The case was eventually presented to a grand jury. An initial grand jury determined that the officer's use of deadly force was not authorized and recommended that the district attorney's office take further action. However, a subsequent Bartow County grand jury declined to indict Corporal Gatny on proposed charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, finding insufficient evidence to proceed to trial. The family announced their intention to file a civil lawsuit against the officer and the city of Euharlee.
