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You see someone under your car, shoot them dead, and it turns out to be a teenager who was crawling after their pet cat. It doesn't matter what happens to you

by rlpb 5y ago

You see someone under your car, shoot them dead, and it turns out to be a teenager who was crawling after their pet cat. It doesn't matter what happens to you after this. The child is dead. And the killing of that child was encouraged by your hypothetical "legal to shoot thieves" law. Barring that law would have saved that child's life.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Eelongate 5y ago
Coaxing a cat with a cordless angle grinder? Your hypothetical concern might seem plausible the way you've written it, sparse on descriptive details, but in real life there is a lot more information to consider that will almost certainly disambiguate the situation. > your hypothetical "legal to shoot thieves" law. Not hypothetical in Texas. So if you've got any real examples of teenagers looking for cats under cars getting shot, by all means trot them out.
- pcwalton 5y ago
  A quick Google search for [child killed because mistaken for thief] brings up this 2017 case in Alabama: https://www.wjhl.com/news/family-22-year-old-mistaken-as-thief-killed-by-father-in-alabama/ https://www.wjhl.com/news/family-22-year-old-mistaken-as-thi... In this case the killer was indicted and pleaded guilty to manslaughter: https://www.cullmantribune.com/2019/10/24/cullman-county-father-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-2017-shooting-death-of-son/ https://www.cullmantribune.com/2019/10/24/cullman-county-fat... Because it's obviously not legal to murder your own son even if you think they're a thief.
  - lowkey_ 5y ago
    The court seems to be doing its job then. I could cite many examples of justified shootings due to the stand-your-ground statute in Texas, and there are a few examples that are unjustified. In the unjustified cases, the shooter is found guilty. That's how the system functions: by shooting, you are certain enough that the individual is committing a crime that you are willing to go to jail if incorrect. It's certainly better than the alternative found in other states, where people are tried and found guilty for defending themselves, their loved ones, and their property.
    - rlpb 5y ago
      > In the unjustified cases, the shooter is found guilty. That's how the system functions: by shooting, you are certain enough that the individual is committing a crime that you are willing to go to jail if incorrect. And meanwhile, the innocent dead person remains dead. Your system may be "functioning" but that's hardly a good outcome.

by rlpb 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Eelongate 5y ago

Coaxing a cat with a cordless angle grinder? Your hypothetical concern might seem plausible the way you've written it, sparse on descriptive details, but in real life there is a lot more information to consider that will almost certainly disambiguate the situation. > your hypothetical "legal to shoot thieves" law. Not hypothetical in Texas. So if you've got any real examples of teenagers looking for cats under cars getting shot, by all means trot them out.

pcwalton 5y ago
A quick Google search for [child killed because mistaken for thief] brings up this 2017 case in Alabama: https://www.wjhl.com/news/family-22-year-old-mistaken-as-thief-killed-by-father-in-alabama/ https://www.wjhl.com/news/family-22-year-old-mistaken-as-thi... In this case the killer was indicted and pleaded guilty to manslaughter: https://www.cullmantribune.com/2019/10/24/cullman-county-father-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-2017-shooting-death-of-son/ https://www.cullmantribune.com/2019/10/24/cullman-county-fat... Because it's obviously not legal to murder your own son even if you think they're a thief.
- lowkey_ 5y ago
  The court seems to be doing its job then. I could cite many examples of justified shootings due to the stand-your-ground statute in Texas, and there are a few examples that are unjustified. In the unjustified cases, the shooter is found guilty. That's how the system functions: by shooting, you are certain enough that the individual is committing a crime that you are willing to go to jail if incorrect. It's certainly better than the alternative found in other states, where people are tried and found guilty for defending themselves, their loved ones, and their property.
  - rlpb 5y ago
    > In the unjustified cases, the shooter is found guilty. That's how the system functions: by shooting, you are certain enough that the individual is committing a crime that you are willing to go to jail if incorrect. And meanwhile, the innocent dead person remains dead. Your system may be "functioning" but that's hardly a good outcome.