One of the weapons in this picture is a real Baretta 9mm and the other is the pellet gun Daniel Chilson was allegedly carrying when he was fatally shot Sunday by Ventura police following a 14 hour standoff.
Which is which?
Ventura police said the bottom one is the pellet gun and the top one is the real gun.
The differences in the two weapons are pretty subtle. When I looked at a blown up version of the picture, I could see some different hash marks on the slide of the pellet gun, and the name "Elite II" where the Baretta has small engraved words I can't read in the photo. Other differences are even harder to pick out -- a slight styling difference in the handle grip and safety, and an inset piece along the barrel.
VPD released the comparison photo at the same time as a statement saying that the department's preliminary investigation found that the three officers who shot Chilson were justified in using deadly force.
Police were chasing Chilson (34, of Simi Valley) following a 14 hour standoff in an agricultural and industrial area of Ventura when he allegedly turned toward them while holding the pellet gun and pointed it at officers about 75 yards away, Ventura police said.
Three officers fired approximately 10 shots at him, police said. Bullets hit Chilson in the torso and lower leg. A shot to the chest killed him, authorities said.
VPD's preliminary investigation determined that the officers were within policy, and that they "(feared) for their lives and the lives of other safety personnel in the area" when they used deadly force.
For those interested in the specifications of the replica, it looks like this is it: http://www.airgundepot.com/beretta-eliteii-air-pistol.html ... If that is indeed it, it shoots .177 caliber pellets at 480 feet per second. That would make it a weapon, though obviously not one with the same deadly potential as a real firearm.
This blog is not about commenting on the fact that the weapon was a pellet gun, its resemblance to a real gun, the police department's motivation in releasing the picture, or what officers deal with in their work. I'll leave that to readers.
I do think the image gives some food for thought, so I wanted to make it available.
Here are links to our stories on the incident:
Simi man in crisis before fatal shooting
Police shoot man after 14 hour standoff
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