Posted on 11/01/2018 6:22:25 PM PDT by Simon Green
As John Boch recently discussed, it’s not a good idea to go outside to confront a suspicious person in your yard. Around 3:30 a.m. this past Monday morning in Las Vegas, an elderly homeowner in his eighties lost his life in a struggle with a stranger on his patio.
That stranger was Sheldon Thomas, age 34. Based on reports, it appears that police were already searching for a prowler in the west Las Vegas neighborhood in response to a call: Someone had been breaking fences in an attempt to get into residents’ backyards. When officers arrived at one home, however, they found an elderly victim suffering from a gunshot wound on his enclosed patio. Shortly afterward, still at the scene, medical personnel pronounced him dead.
It’s not clear whether the gentleman himself had called the police, but we do know that he walked out of his home and onto the patio with a gun to confront Thomas. When he did, a fight over the gun ensued, and Thomas won the fight.
Thomas was arrested while walking away from that house and is now facing one charge of murder with a deadly weapon.
(Suspect Sheldon Thomas)
The difference between us pro-2A people and anti-gun people in a situation like this is that we neither blame the gun itself nor believe that the homeowner shouldn’t have had one. Indeed, only a few hours later in Cleveland, a woman defended herself and three children by returning fire at two home invaders who burst through her door and started shooting. She was shot in the stomach and transported to the hospital shortly afterwards, but she was able to save at least three (hopefully four) lives because she was armed.
Deadly force is only as good as its user. Practice good judgment by using it only in the gravest extreme, avoiding a gunfight if at all possible.
An elderly man against a
Rabid Animal,,,
Sad.
Bet he did not have a bright flashlight or floodlights he could turn on. Clearly he did not have a quick trigger finger.
Well, guess my thoughts.
That why you need two dogs. One chase and and catch. While the dumbass is deciding what to do
At that time of night, call 911. Stay in the house. If he doesn’t enter the house, let the cops find him.
If he enters the house, kill him.
A good strategy. My dogs would get him if he got into my back yard. Four shepherd dogs of several varieties, average weight about 80 lbs.
Unless one has children,it is the smart thing to do to stay in your bedroom.
Let the bad guy come to you under conditions you control.
Then zap him.
Encountering the bad guy while walking down a hallway or past a bedroom door is even more dangerous than encountering him outside because your encounter will be at very close range, much closer than outside.
Probably didn’t have kids at 80.
If he comes in the house, he would have heard him.
Wait, shoot.
I forgot to add that going outside puts you in legal jeopardy in some states. The courts will take the position that as long as the bad guy is outside he is not a lethal danger to you and therefore you can not shoot him. That varies according to the law in your state and also according to the prosecutor in charge of the case.
In this state, cases have gone both ways even though this state is clear on the point that you can not shoot a person who is not an immediate deadly threat.
Had a false alarm earlier this evening. Two quick large sneezes near my front door.
I quickly retreated to my firearm located on the second floor and waited. Excellent narrow passage stairwell that I control. Waited. Turned off lights. Walked the house slowly turning off more lights and clearing new spaces from completely black rooms.
Nobody.
Mainly, though, go to your prepositioned perfect spot and wait.
Yep.
If I go outside and kill someone in my yard, I’m done.
Minnesota.
Dreadful. RIP.
My grandfather used to tell me about his dog bringing in the back seat of pants one night. That’s stayed with me all these years.
I wish all states had Texas law on self defense.
In this state, it is really tricky.
An example, made up by a non lawyer (me); You get up at your usual time, 5:30AM to go to work. After a quick breakfast you go outside to your vehicle. It is still dark and there is a guy in it literally cleaning it out. You yell at him and he rushes you. It is still dark and you can’t see anything but this guy rushing you.
You shoot him.
You will be hassled by the cops but will be on sound legal ground.
Now take the same situation only you were sound asleep at 3:00 AM and hear noises, glass breaking outside, etc. You look out the window and see a guy cleaning out your vehicle. You rush outside to confront him and he goes for you. You shoot him.
You are going to prison in most states.
One had better be very careful about playing hero.
Yeah, they frown on escalation, here.
Hopefully the prosecutor in a case like this would look at the shooter's age,the dead guy's age,the dead guy's criminal record and the time of day and then decide not to prosecute.
But even if the prosecutor decides to bring it to trial the *jury* will take all those things into consideration and deliver a verdict within an hour of beginning deliberations.
Anytime you decide to introduce a gun into a situation, it’s a good idea to start pulling the trigger immediately after it’s introduced and the gun is still in YOUR possession.
It probably would never go as far as prosecution.
When I said “hassled” I was referring to the trip downtown in the back seat, the endless questions, etc.
In my example, the cops would end up convinced that the shooter went to work 6 days a week at exactly that same time and the shooter’s boss would support that he had to leave the house at that time in order to be where he was supposed to be at 7:00 AM.
Thus demonstrating that he did not escalate the situation.
But two hours earlier.....
This is the state where Nyfong practiced and he was not the only one.
Nor is this state the only state with corrupt prosecutors.
We are at their mercy so we had better know the law and follow the law to the letter.
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