Posted on 08/15/2014 9:21:32 PM PDT by conservative98
Edited on 08/15/2014 9:25:06 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) -- A Virginia deputy sheriff shot his 16-year-old daughter after mistaking her for an intruder, then crashed his car as he rushed her to the hospital, authorities said.
The teenager was in stable condition at a Winchester hospital, according to media reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at wtop.com ...
This guy needs a smart gun.
With youngins in the home, this is a real danger. During these years you almost have to establish a policy of shouting out and warning the target. It adds a level of danger, but I would sure hate to shoot my own kid or spouse.
They need to call ahead to get clearance to show up and be admitted....
Good. It is probably something a lot of folks don’t think about until it’s too late. Pondering having a weapon within arms reach at night, I’ve had to give this some thought. I would never want to have to live with the guilt of killing someone I loved by mistake.
Yup. Know your target. A rule not adhered to by a law enforcement officer. Just shoot at anything, dogs, strangers,… or your own kid.
“This guy needs a smart gun.”
Yeah, especially since he failed in the “smart child” arena.
*************************************
..... his daughter, who had been returning home after apparently sneaking out .....
or a smarter daughter.
A figure is moving toward you in a dimly lit garage. Generally, when this happens the individual is fair game. You open your yap to challenge them, they home in on your voice and fire a shot. You’re dead.
It’s not quite as easy to avoid as you might think, cop or not.
I’m sure that he’ll be punished to the full extent of the law.
Everyone handles these situations differently. Alarm goes off, shadow around a dark garage, you never know if it’s a friend or a foe. But, why would a friend be in your garage at that time of a night. If you feel threatened, you do what you decide to do. Not going to judge the guy. I am sure the man feels bad ..so bad.
Except that, however rare, happens too often when it is a police officer.
You can’t shoot an unidentified target if you are in a place where it might be an innocent.
I’d prefer not to live in an area where the police think that, in order to keep themselves safe, they are free to shoot anything that moves.
When I worked offshore in the Gulf of Mexico sometimes I would get off the rig early. I would stop and call my wife before I opened the door of my apartment if it was at night. I did not want to get shot.
It seems to me you are taking the officer to task, when the real problem was that his daughter circumvented the system to do something she shouldn’t have been doing.
Who was the officer trying to protect? In fact, he was trying to protect the family. He was trying to protect that very daughter, who should have been in her room, and who he thought was in her room.
If you and your wife are home and someone comes down the hallway to your bedroom what are you going to do? Will you allow the person to fire off one or two shotgun rounds before you shoot?
It could be one of your adult children who doesn’t live there any longer, in your home using very bad judgement. Perhaps they have been drinking
Would you be the bad guy for trying to prevent a threat getting a jump on you and your wife?
What if you waited and your wife’s head was blown off? How would that set with you?
Not when you have kids. Do you have kids? Have they ever sneaked out at night and sneaked back in? Kids do that, don't you know?
That's why I have a LED light attached to my guns. Figure moving towards me in a dimly lit garage would be lit up and if not my daughter then my Mossberg 590 goes to work, if necessary. Or my .38. Know your target, it may say you grief.
I meant Know your target, it may save you grief.
Just after I replied to you, the house alarm went off. One of my daughters, forgot to silence the alarm (on a 20 second delay). Shit is real, and your job as parent is to be careful and not think everyone coming in is a target. She apologized, I’m happy she’s okay.
How is my wife’s head going to get blown off in the garage, when she is upstairs in the bedroom and the door is locked?
By that logic, he should shoot anything that approaches his house at night, since they might break into a door and cause harm.
Or maybe he should just shoot people in the street, since they might be walking up to the house.
The fact is, a police officer shot an unarmed teenager in his garage, without ever identifying the target.
What if a police officer had seen the garage door opened, and decided to investigate to make sure someone wasn’t trying to steal the car? Then this guy would have shot a cop. And if he was a citizen, he would go to jail for shooting the cop.
Shooting at unidentified people in your garage is never a good idea. You shouldn’t shoot your kids if they walk through your bedroom door at 3am either. My son has done that before, when he was worried about something, or needed medication.
I don’t think people who would shoot at unidentified targets in a house with children should have a gun.
Nice try. If it’s the wrong guy, you’re already dead.
You pinpoint yourself and it’s over. The guy already has his gun out and pointed in your direction.
16 years old
sneaks out after parents in bed
sneaking back in at 3:30 in the morning...
wonder if she learned something?
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.