By John Newsome and Dana Ford
ATLANTA (CNN) — An investigation is underway in northwest Georgia after a police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Christopher Roupe.
There are conflicting reports as to what happened.
According to an affidavit dated Friday, two police officers went to a home in Euharlee, Georgia, to serve probation violation arrest warrants.
One officer went to the front door while another took a position on the northeast corner of the residence, the affidavit says. The officer at the door knocked and could hear someone from inside coming to the door.
Before it opened, that officer heard what she believed was the action of a firearm, at which point the officer drew her weapon, the affidavit says.
“A male subject opened the front door pointing a pistol … and pulled the trigger,” the affidavit reads. The officer fired one round.
A statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation basically echoes the court document.
It does not mention the officer having heard the action of a firearm, but said that Roupe opened the door with a drawn handgun.
The officer called for medical assistance. The teenager was then transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, said the GBI, which is conducting an investigation into the use of force.
A lawyer for Roupe’s family offers a different account of the shooting.
According to attorney Cole Law, eyewitness testimony establishes that Roupe was holding a Wii Remote, not a handgun, when he opened the door.
The teenager heard a knock, asked who it was, received no response, opened the door and was immediately shot in the chest, Law said. Roupe’s father, sister and brother were home at the time.
Law described Roupe as a great kid. He attended Woodland High School, in nearby Cartersville, where he was in the ROTC program and dreamed of joining the Marines.
“The story that he pointed a gun at the officer defies everything we know about him,” said Law.
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