Posted on 03/07/2012 5:46:37 AM PST by marktwain
“I was in fear for my life.”
Repeat as often as necessary until you lawyer up.
If someone is breaking into or already entered your home at 1:15 AM, you shoot the intruder.
DGU = Defensive Gun Use
There are different opinions on this. The lawyer who gave our CCW class advised the following:
State the information required for the police and ambulance to arrive.
If anyone is hurt, let them know that you need an ambulance
Make the statement that you are scared that (he might get back up, come after you again, etc)
Say that others may have been hurt and you need to go check on the others and put the phone down without hanging up.
When the police sirens or lights arrive, start hyperventilating. When the Police approach you, point out any material items such as weapons broken glass, etc. Do talk about how scared you were and say that you need to go to the hospital because your chest hurts and you feel faint.
At the hospital, call your lawyer
DO NOT:
Talk about time, cause or any details
I'm with you, poor writing, but the term "defensive gun use" was used just before the STFU part so I'm guessing that is it.
.
I understand not wanting to talk to the police after a DGU incident, but I think "play-acting" or faking a medical condition as described above is a bad road to go down. You do not want to do or say anything that can be proved later as a staged act on your part or outright lying to the police.
Better to just remain calm and composed and say nothing to police other than you acted in self-defense and will need to speak to a lawyer before giving additional detail. Be polite to the police and don't feed them any BS.
!
Also, good talk by attorney on youtube Don't talk to police about what to do if you've had to defend yourself.
I am not saying let the police know you are having a tox screen run... do it on your own, and let the hospital know it is not to be released to anyone but yourself... regardless of your state, this information is to be given to your attorney ONLY..
If you are behaving like someone who is upset but trying to help (pointing out weapons, broken glass, etc) and you are scared, then you are behaving the way the police see 1,000s of victims and their experience is to side with you.
Our lawyer in our CCW class pointed out that first impressions are very important. Your first impression to the legal system in a DGU is the 911/Police response. If they do not arrest you, then you will most likely not have to go to trial.
ditto, thx for posting this!
Yes very good advice. The only thing he might have added is that if you shoot someone make sure they are dead. Then there is only one side of the story. Yours. I have had several cops that I know tell me that.
This directly contradicts the American Rifleman DVD series on home defense, which tells you to narrate the entire encounter into your phone throughout the entire episode so the 911 operators can record the entire event.
What you say, and what they say you said, are rarely never the same thing.
Police are govt employees w/ guns and necessarily lowest common denominator types. The best practice always is to know your rights and keep your mouth shut. If your ‘lack of cooperation’ results in arrest then so be it. The alternative is to talk to much and have that used against you in court. The police is NEVER your friend. If you violate that precept youll wind up regretting it always.
Yes, anytime cops get in a gunfight, I’ve noticed that their opponents often take in excess of 30 rounds to center of mass and head.
Unless you are expert at hiding/disposing of a corpse. Fixed.
Unless you are expert at hiding/disposing of a corpse. Fixed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.