The man killed by a state police officer yesterday morning just off campus at Seton Hill University had planned to become a state trooper some day.

Joe Briggs, 22, was shot after a three-hour standoff in Greensburg.

A friend yesterday described the criminal justice major as fun-loving and carefree.

"He could make anybody's bad day turn out better just by smiling or asking how they were," said Cristina Tiano, a junior at Seton Hill.

A few weeks ago, she hung out with Mr. Briggs, who told her he wanted to join the state police. She said she didn't know him to be depressed or upset about anything.

"I don't think he would ever do anything to anybody," she said.

A former high school football coach agreed.

Fred Swick, who was an assistant coach during Mr. Briggs' senior year at Poolesville High School in Maryland, said he was surprised by what happened yesterday.

"I never would have thought that of him," Mr. Swick said.

Mr. Briggs was a defensive lineman at Poolesville his senior year and was named all-Montgomery County by the Washington Post for the 2004-05 season.

"Joe was a fantastic young man and a hard worker," said his coach at Poolesville, Larry Hurd Jr.

He described Mr. Briggs as a pleasure to coach and said he always arrived at practice well-prepared.

"He had good size, and he had great heart," Mr. Hurd said. "Nobody was going to beat Joe at heart."

Mr. Briggs transferred to Poolesville in his senior year from a Catholic high school, Mr. Swick said.

He also played football at Seton Hill his freshman year, Ms. Tiano said.

According to his profile on the Web site Facebook, Mr. Briggs was single. His profile also noted that he enjoyed hunting and said that he supported the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which advocates for licensed gun owners to carry those weapons on campus.