Tag Archives: self-defense

Off-duty Houston firefighter shot dead by neighbor – CBS News

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“No one did anything wrong. It was just a confluence of events that provoked a tragedy,” 0Parker said. “My understanding is that the firefighter, off-duty, had been out. He did what he was supposed to do: He took a cab ride home, got dropped off in the wrong place and wasn’t aware of it. [He] tried to get into what he thought was his house and was tragically shot.”

via Off-duty Houston firefighter shot dead by neighbor – CBS News.

 

I’m actually rather impressed that Houston’s mayor, or any liberal Democrat, is actually capable of taking this stance on such things. Of course, they nearly all make exceptions when it’s actually their own home. Anyone else needs to be a good victim.

All the political BS aside, it is indeed a tragedy.  There will be those who scream “murder!” because they believe she should have called 911 and waited until he was in her home and sobered up to do anything about it. After all, he didn’t mean to harm anyone one.  But, how many home invasions, robberies, rapes, and murders start under seemingly identical circumstances for the poor woman whose home he tried to enter? Is she supposed to assume all the risks and just see what happens once he’s in?

GM

Cops do not react well to furtive or sudden movement in traffic stops…

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A police officer in South Carolina shot a 70-year-old motorist who was reaching for a cane during a traffic stop because he thought the man was grabbing a rifle from the bed of his pickup truck, investigators said. The man was expected to survive.

via SC officer shoots man reaching for cane – The Washington Post.

Folks, unless the cop tells you to get out of your vehicle, DO NOT GET OUT! Furthermore, DO NOT let him see you reaching for anything. He may or may not wait to see what you’re reaching for before deciding to light you up which is exactly what happened to the man the story above. The knee-jerk reaction is to fault the cop for shooting an old man reaching for his cane but, the reality is, everything the man did would and should set off red flags for any cop and he’s lucky to be alive.

-GM

When “Warning Shots” go wrong: Liberty County man charged in shooting death of his son | Local News

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James Nesler, 61, is charged with murder in the death of J.A. Nesler about 3:45 p.m. at CR450, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the elder Nesler told investigators his son had an argument with a friend who was visiting the home. After the brief disagreement, Nesler said he also had an argument with his son. His son started toward him and Nesler said he opened fire on the younger man with a .357 revolver to “warn” him, attempting to wound him in the shoulder to stop the confrontation.

via Liberty County man charged in shooting death of his son – Houston Chronicle.

We have long said that “warning shots” are a bad idea and they are not legal. This incident highlights one of the reasons we aren’t fans of “warning shots.” Let’s start with the fact this man admits he is using “deadly force” as a “warning.” By that, I mean he aimed with the intention of attempting to shoot someone non-fatally by hitting them in the shoulder. Folks, getting shot is like getting pregnant, you don’t get shot just a little bit. You either get shot or you don’t. If you cannot articulate an imminent threat of serious injury or bodily harm to yourself or a third person, there is no justification for shooting someone. But this story has a tragic conclusion in that a man managed to kill his own son while firing a “warning shot.” As much as I want to defend him and say that losing his son is a high enough price to pay, I can’t. As they say, the road to Hell is often paved with good intentions.

-GM

Man says suspects pistol-whipped him, stole $8K during home invasion in Katy | khou.com

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A man was recovering from a robbery and beating after four suspects barged into his Katy home with weapons early Thursday.

Brian Washington said he was pistol-whipped and beaten with a chair after being ambushed by the four bandits who followed his girlfriend home around 3 a.m.

The robbers busted down doors and ransacked rooms, taking $8,000 Washington had stored in a shoebox. They also put a gun to his girlfriend’s head.

via Man says suspects pistol-whipped him, stole $8K during home invasion in Katy | khou.com Houston.

Close to home…Very close to home. But, this doesn’t look to be random. In fact, the victim thinks it was likely someone he knew who set him up.

-GM

More info on theater shooting

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Sheriff’s Detective Allen Proctor wrote that Reeves spoke to Oulson during the movie previews, then got up and informed management.

When Reeves returned to his seat “additional words were exchanged” and Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, the report said.

After officers read him his rights, Reeves told the detective that Oulson struck him in the face with an unknown object, and that’s when he removed a .380 caliber gun from his pants pocket. The report said Reeves fired the gun and struck Oulson once in the chest and that he “was in fear of being attacked.”

Judge Lynn Tepper said she found the evidence significant enough to warrant the no bond order.

via Details emerge on retired officer involved in theater shooting.

Our man on the beat, Jason, says he’s hearing from a reliable source that “the old man went and got the manager of the theater after the initial confrontation. Manager and old man confront texter, texter throws popcorn bucket in old mans face and becomes aggressive. Old man draws, and the gun is grabbed, possibly by the wife, possibly by the victim. Struggle over gun and gun goes bang…”

I agree with Jason’s assessment on Facebook that it seems odd that a 20+ year police veteran would shoot someone for simply throwing popcorn or “an unknown object” at him. It would seem there has to be more to the story. If there really was a struggle over the gun, that’s would go a long way toward filling in some holes. However, there’s a whole question of whether or not a gun should have been introduced into this discussion in the first place. That’s not an argument against carrying a gun. However, it is a question of whether or not producing said gun as a threat was justified.

Older retiree facing a younger, stronger, man is an argument that there is a disparity of force but, that isn’t necessarily justification for producing a firearm. Verbal threats alone are not justification for the threat of deadly force (i.e. drawing a firearm).  If you escalated things without justification and that turned into a fight over the gun, it may foul any claim of self-defense. This is a case to watch as their are obvious implications for all of us who choose to go armed.

-GM