KS: Over 10% of Topeka Homicides were Justified

Gun Watch ^ | 19 March, 2018 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Image from cjonline.com

Topeka Kansas had 30 homicides in 2017. That is a record setting number. Of the 30 homicides, four have been ruled as justified so far.  The Topeka Capitol-Journal published that nine of the homicide investigations were still open at the end of the year.  Presumably, the Cazee-Watkins case was one of those. From cjonline.com:

Cazee-Watkins was arrested Thursday in connection with criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and interference with a law enforcement officer (conceal/alter/destroy evidence). He is being held on a $20,000 bond.

“The death of Kenneth Vetaw was investigated simultaneously with the charged offenses,” Kagay said in an email. “The law enforcement investigation concluded the actions leading to Kenneth Vetaw’s death were committed in self-defense. Upon reviewing the results of the investigation, I concur that there was not sufficient evidence to file a homicide-related charge.”
(snip)

Kenneth Vetaw’s death is the city’s fourth homicide of last year’s 30 to be ruled justified.

The Capitol-Journal reported that three cases had unknown motives, 11 cases were gang related, five were domestic and six were "arguments".

A Topeka police spokesman said most of the homicides involved people during "high-risk" activities.

One of the justified homicides was a police involved shooting. That leaves three cases, minimum, that were justified homicides by non-police.

While this sample is too small for large conclusions, the numbers fit well with the overall prediction that about 10% of all homicides are justified.  This is five times the number of justified homicides recorded in the FBI Uniform Crime Reports. The severe under-reporting of justified homicides by the FBI UCR system has been well documented.

In 2016, the number of homicides (murder, and non-negligent homicides) was reported at 15,070. The number of justified homicides reported by non-police was 331.

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

[marktwain]

About 10% of homicides, nationally, are justified. The FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) misses about 80% of justified homicieds because of reporting problems, UCR definition of justified homicide, and length of time for justice system to make a determination.

[DanielRedfoot]

Some people just need killin....”Josey Wales

[Bratch]

Justified

[Gay State Conservative]

Self defense obviously.I read once that Texas law allows a person to use lethal force in many situations...including a person acting to protect a neighbor's property from theft.

It's distinctly possible that I misread this...or misunderstood what I was reading...but if,by chance,I'm correct that seems pretty hard core.

And no,I'm not one of those soft on crime" moderates!

[marktwain]

Texas is the most liberal state for the justifiable use of deadly force.

They allow for deadly force in defense of property, if the offense occurs at night.

[Gay State Conservative]

They allow for deadly force in defense of property, if the offense occurs at night.

Of course the family of such a individual would,if he was "of color",demand prosecution in the Federal courts.And would also file a lawsuit in a Federal court.

[marktwain]

I have not seen it happen.

In Texas all potential self-defense homicides are sent to a grand jury for indictment.

The grand jury almost always “no bills” such situaitons. That is they find there is insufficient evidence of a crime to prosecute the individual who shoots in self-defense.