Several states have passed “Shoot the burglar” laws. If someone breaks into your house you can shoot them in the act whether or not they threaten you. In Florida, homeowners are exempt from civil liability.
In this case, the perps not only weren’t in his house, they weren’t even on his property.
These Burglar laws were passed long ago:
Exodus 22:2-3 (New American Standard Bible)
2”If the (A)thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.
3”But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be (B)sold for his theft.
that would not apply here as the persons were already off of the property... and were in the process of leaving ... Mr. Reid cannot claim any sort of feeling that he was being menaced or felt he was in danger.
Exodus 22:2 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
2 “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;
Even a state as leftist as NJ was toying with the idea of ‘shoot the criminal’outside your immediate home up to the edge of your property. That was over 10 years ago, and I’m not sure where that stands.
But to me, I’m going to err on the side of self defense if someone who breaks into my home. If they have the dementia or criminal disposition to break in, I assume they have no problem killing me if they see me first.