Unneccessary Force in South Georgia?

[Solus]

Has anyone been following the story about the man in Texas who called 911 to report a robbery in progress at the neighbors house?

The Neighbors were on vacation and he saw two men entering the house through a window.

He kept talking to the 911 operator waiting for the police to arrive and when the thieves started climbing back out the window, he told the 911 operator that he was loading his shotgun and was going out to kill the robbers. 

The 911 operator tried to talk him out of it but next we hear 3 shotgun blasts....and we have two dead robbers....

The police finally arrive and decide not to charge the man. 

I hue and cry arises and the DA turns the case over to the Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury finds him not guitly.

Turns out Texas Law allows using deadly force to protect property and that the man and the 911 operator had discussed the law and that the man was aware of the law and acted upon it...

Seems radical and many folks would have moral issues to resolve in this situation but not legal ones.....and I bet the robbery rate goes down it Texas ....one way or another...

[JohnJacobH]

But as long as people are taking pot-shots at people in parking lots there will be arguments.

For people who exhibit a cavalier attitude toward the realities of an encounter of the goblin kind we keep the Smart-Donkey-In-A-Gorilla-Suit video handy.

In thirty seconds you pretty much learn everything you need to know about threat, response and aftermath.  No one gets hurt, everyone gets what they deserve and it is pretty darn funny to boot.

Enjoy.

http://johnjacobh.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/smart-donkey-in-a-gorilla-suit-gets-clock-cleaned-appropriately/

[JohnJacobH]

Has anyone been following the story about the man in Texas who called 911 to report a robbery in progress at the neighbors house?

The Neighbors were on vacation and he saw two men entering the house through a window.

He kept talking to the 911 operator waiting for the police to arrive and when the thieves started climbing back out the window, he told the 911 operator that he was loading his shotgun and was going out to kill the robbers. 

The 911 operator tried to talk him out of it but next we hear 3 shotgun blasts....and we have two dead robbers....

The police finally arrive and decide not to charge the man. 

A hue and cry arises and the DA turns the case over to the Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury finds him not guitly.

Turns out Texas Law allows using deadly force to protect property and that the man and the 911 operator had discussed the law and that the man was aware of the law and acted upon it...

Seems radical and many folks would have moral issues to resolve in this situation but not legal ones.....and I bet the robbery rate goes down it Texas ....one way or another...

That would be the case of Joe Horn:

http://johnjacobh.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/joe-horn-cleared-of-all-charges-by-grand-jury/

And the reason he acted correctly can be discovered in this little tale from Texas a few short weeks later:

http://johnjacobh.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/home-invasion-in-texas-gun-free-zone/

[PegLeg45]

JohnJacobH, I agree with you in your points. I'm not trying to argue against you here.
I guess one of the downfalls to typed forums is the inability to vocalize or express emotion in order to back an issue.
In my own way I was trying to get across that no matter the situation, if one decides to act with force, be prepared to be villified in the media and the courts (in most states).

I'm not trying to say whether the shooter was justified or not, I was not there.

The law is different here in Georgia than in Texas, that's all.
Know the law. Be prepared for the fallout.

Situational awareness is key to self preservation. Be aware of your surroundings and potential trouble at all times.

As someone who has had a gun stuck in his face by a man who was as high as a kite and unpredictable, and has been shot at by a mentally unstable individual who was not supposed to have a gun in the first place, and being unarmed and basically defenseless each time, I now go armed and I damn sure pay attention to everything around me (even to the annoyance of my wife).

Yes, I totally agree that we all need to be ready when the booger-man jumps out of the trashcan, so to speak.

But, one needs to understand the laws of each state where one carries a weapon for defense and be ready if or when the time comes to deal with the consequences.

So, I raise my glass of Wild Turkey, and toast to all of us, as we are in the same boat.
"May your self-defense weapon never have to be drawn in earnest need, but if so, be swift and true."

[tombogan03884]

No matter what state you are in, if you are outside your home, your safest rule of thumb is if no lives are in danger call 911 and give a good description. Stuff can be replaced, time spent in jail or dealing with lawyers can not. If lives are in danger, drop the sucker, keep your mouth shut and get the best lawyer you can find.

[Sponsor]

[tt11758]

No matter what state you are in, if you are outside your home, your safest rule of thumb is if no lives are in danger call 911 and give a good description. Stuff can be replaced, time spent in jail or dealing with lawyers can not. If lives are in danger, drop the sucker, keep your mouth shut and get the best lawyer you can find.

Amen!!

[PegLeg45]

No matter what state you are in, if you are outside your home, your safest rule of thumb is if no lives are in danger call 911 and give a good description. Stuff can be replaced, time spent in jail or dealing with lawyers can not. If lives are in danger, drop the sucker, keep your mouth shut and get the best lawyer you can find.

Exactly, Sir!

[kmitch200]

Laughing out loud! You make the point well and far better than I could.
A short list of things missing from the article would include- distance, caliber of weapon, lighting, deportment and demeanor of the assailant etc.

JJH, I think you know that you wouldn't get distance, caliber, etc., in an article PRAISING this shooter.
The statement: "I see nothing in this story to suggest the man used unnecessary force." is asinine. 

You don't shoot people for petty theft, you call the cops. Reserve that option for when you are threatened, not when your CDs are threatened.
People shouldn't die for buffoonery. If they did, every teenager on the planet would be gone tomorrow.

It is not our job to yield to THEIR ideas of what is good or bad. OUR job is to make THEM understand OUR ideas of good and bad and threat and response so they will come to understand what is right and wrong.

Agreed on making them understand. It is also our 'job' to follow the law. That hardly makes us "good little Bolsheviks."
If you disagree with the law, work to change it.  Bypassing the legal system in this process is usually a bad idea.
Shooting someone over property is a really bad use of force IMO.

If you think it is, if you think the 'stuff' in your car is more important than someones life, the laws are very different where you live or you can count me out of the "Our" in: OUR ideas of good and bad.   

Just my opinion, I've been wrong before...

 

[tombogan03884]

JJH, I think you know that you wouldn't get distance, caliber, etc., in an article PRAISING this shooter.
The statement: "I see nothing in this story to suggest the man used unnecessary force." is asinine. 

You don't shoot people for petty theft, you call the cops. Reserve that option for when you are threatened, not when your CDs are threatened.
People shouldn't die for buffoonery. If they did, every teenager on the planet would be gone tomorrow.
 

Agreed on making them understand. It is also our 'job' to follow the law. That hardly makes us "good little Bolsheviks."
If you disagree with the law, work to change it.  Bypassing the legal system in this process is usually a bad idea.
Shooting someone over property is a really bad use of force IMO.

If you think it is, if you think the 'stuff' in your car is more important than someones life, the laws are very different where you live or you can count me out of the "Our" in: OUR ideas of good and bad.  

Just my opinion, I've been wrong before...

In some states, particularly Texas you would be wrong this time as well. My reasoning in my previous post was based purely on expediency, and following the path of least aggravation, Neither I or anyone else work and earn money with the intention of letting some light fingered piece of shit steal it. In the Marines if we caught a theif in the barracks he would be beaten half to death, and no one would see anything.

[JohnJacobH]

No matter what state you are in, if you are outside your home, your safest rule of thumb is if no lives are in danger call 911 and give a good description. Stuff can be replaced, time spent in jail or dealing with lawyers can not. If lives are in danger, drop the sucker, keep your mouth shut and get the best lawyer you can find.

Who told you that and why did you believe them?

Coming on the heels of Joe Horn, who it developed did exactly the right thing with the marauders in his neighborhood based on their history and previous activities that is an odd point of view.

Florida just extended curtailage to your car and your immediate surroundings (no duty to retreat, stand your ground)

This notion that burglars and muggers are somehow innocents who occasionally dabble in light hearted mischief must be challenged and defeated.

They are invariably armed and hostile to challenge when interrupted in their activities and frequently on an escalation curve from theft to murder.

In case after case, burglars enter an empty house (no car in the driveway, no sign of activity) only to discover a sick teenager (10-12-16 years old) in bed who is then MURDERED IN THEIR HOME for no other reason than Mom thought they were old enough to look after themselves for a few hours while she was at work.

Anyone with the brass to challenge these creeps and shorten their careers is a hero in my book and always will be.  I salute them.

I have lost interest in what dimwit District Attorneys and the felony enablers in the Police Department think about the situation.


When someone has taken it into their head to violently seize property LIVES ARE IN DANGER. It may not be today, but tomorrow it may be your wife or child or brother or sister or father or mother or hunting buddy.

The road to hell is paved with expedience.

Just saying.