Self-defense or murder? Pharmacist who shot 16-year-old trying to rob his shop gets life sentence

UK Daily Mail ^ | May 30, 2011 | Daily Mail Reporter

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

Not sure why you pinged me on this. But if there is another video of this, please post it on this thread.

[TXnMA]

Courtesy ping...your thread...

[TXnMA]

There are actually three surveillance videos: two inside - with cameras approximately in opposite corners -- and one outside.

You asked me to post the videos:

Another poster's annotated video with parts from all three tapes.

DA's press conference showing both inside cameras twice. (Unfortunately, video is second-hand -- taped off of a monitor...)

Notice that kid falls forward (face down?) The pharmacist almost steps on the kid's head on the way back in - and turns his back on him. (What threat?) Also note that IF the kid does move, the pharmacist does not jump back as if threatened, but, instead keeps charging closer, bending down, and shoots the last rounds from about two feet.

~~~~~~

There were links to first generation copies of all three vids posted on FR shortly after the event. If I find them, I will post them.

Also, the first (head) -- and last five (abdomen) -- shots were from a Kel-Tec P3AT pocket .380. The shots outside were fired from a Taurus "Judge", and may have been .410 shotshells...

[dragnet2]

For the 3rd time, *after* obtaining the other weapon, how do you or anyone know as he walked back and got *close* to the robbery suspect, the robbery suspect did not suddenly start to move?

If you have a video of the robbery suspect depicting he did not move when the store owner approached him, please post it.

[Spitzensparkin1]

Wonder what the makeup of the jury was, surely it was an all white jury, just to have be his peers. /s

[higgmeister]

He wounded the kid with what I remember was a small caliber handgun, chased his accomplice out of the store, retrieved a hand cannon ie large caliber pistol, and then went back and emptied the second pistol into the prostrate kid. IMHO, that’s an execution, and he got what he deserved.

I see it as a sovereign individual assuring a very grave threat to his life and livelihood is eliminated in accordance with his duty as an upstanding citizen.

[1980F150]

One thing people need to realize is that the legal definition of premeditation has been drastically changed. The common understanding is this idea that you have to have woken up that day knowing exactly what you were going to do as far as killing another person. We like to think that it means you have been planning this for days/weeks in advance, maybe tracking your victim, trying to create a credible alibi etc etc. But that is not the case. Basically they ask if there was at any point before the murder that the defendant had a chance to think about what he/she was going to do - it can literally be a minute before the act takes place. As long as it was enough time to consider the actual ACT, that is enough for premeditation.

I know this is kind of armchair psychoanalysis but it seems to me this guy did this because he saw himself as some kind of Army warrior. This is why he fabricated his military career. Maybe he saw a chance to actually shoot/kill someone who actually deserved it, and thinking he would be let off the hook and/or even celebrated as a hero - he took the plunge.

Let this be a lesson to all of us that the laws regarding self defense can sometimes be turned around against you, even though you were the victim. Be careful everyone.