A couple of points. First killing someone because they stole your property is illegal everywhere. The only legal reason to shoot someone is because your life or someone elses in in danger. Theft does not justify murder. Anyone who owns a gun has a responsibilty to understand that.
Second, I blame the fact that he did so partly on NYC's asinine gun laws. In any normal place a person in this position could have aprehended the perp and called the cops. In NYC they would have arrested the not only the thief but the owner for having an "illegal" gun. Probably the thief would have been in a lot less trouble than the gunowner too. That makes aprehension a non-option which ecourages people to be either passive victims or vigilanties.
Perhaps, but there is a difference between killing someone because they stole your property, and using deadly force to stop them from stealing it. The latter is legal in many states.
"yes, officer, I took this dirty, beat-up .45 from the thief when I confronted him and he pulled it on me. I had to shoot him because I feared for my life..."
LEO's have been known to carry a "throw away" piece. So should the citizen!
Not quite. Here in Texas deadly force is authorized to protect property.
Thank God I live in Texas.