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Retired firefighter who fired shotgun at black teen asking for directions gets up to 10 years
NBC ^ | Nov. 13, 2018 | Minyvonne Burke

Posted on 11/13/2018 10:59:09 AM PST by yesthatjallen

A white retired firefighter in Michigan found guilty of firing a shotgun from his porch at a black teenager who knocked on his front door because he was lost was sentenced Tuesday to four to 10 years in prison.

Jeffrey Zeigler, dressed in a grey jumpsuit with his hands shackled in front of him, appeared in an Oakland County courtroom where a judge sentenced him to two to 10 years for one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two years for one count of felony firearm. He was convicted on Oct. 12.

The sentences will be consecutive, meaning Zeigler will serve at least two years for the assault count and another two years for the firearm count, the judge said.

Zeigler, 53, was seen on home surveillance video around 8:20 a.m. ET on April 12 shooting at Brennan Walker as the teen fled down the street. Walker told police that he had missed his school bus that morning and got lost as he was walking through Rochester Hills.

Walker, 14, said he went to Zeigler's home to ask for directions to Rochester High School, where he is a freshman.

"I knocked on the door, stepped back, knocked, stepped back, and then a lady came downstairs yelling at me," he told NBC-affiliate WDIV in April.

Walker said Zeigler's wife picked up the phone to call police, reporting that “a black male was trying to break into her house.”

Ziegler, a retired Detroit firefighter, grabbed his shotgun and chased after Walker, firing one round as the teen fled.

"I was running away ... I was trying to run away faster and I heard a gunshot," Walker said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: assaultwithfirearm; attemptedmurder; backpackburglar; banglist; detroit; felony; felonyfirearm; guns; hatecrime; idiotwithshotgun; michigan; racism; rkba
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Was this teen asking for directions or scoping out the house?
1 posted on 11/13/2018 10:59:09 AM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

Doesn’t really matter - he was running away when the guy fired that shot. Not a viable threat at that point.


2 posted on 11/13/2018 11:03:36 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: yesthatjallen

Whatever the case, it’s not a good idea to fire at someone running away, especially if there’s no evidence of a crime.


3 posted on 11/13/2018 11:03:36 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: yesthatjallen

its always innocent until it isn’t....like saint trayvon just walking about the neighborhood drinking his lean....because that stolen jewelry in his back pack at school meant nothing...


4 posted on 11/13/2018 11:07:45 AM PST by cherry (official troll)
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To: yesthatjallen

I can’t get the NBC link to work. Was the boy hit? How do we know he was running away?


5 posted on 11/13/2018 11:08:44 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you .)
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To: yesthatjallen

Why go to a house to ask for directions? This is a scam.


6 posted on 11/13/2018 11:11:36 AM PST by conservative98
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To: yesthatjallen
Looked to me like he just knocked on the door. I could be wrong but haven't seen to many burglars with a back pack on. I think the guy just over reacted....I don't think he should do four years since he did not hit the kid!!
7 posted on 11/13/2018 11:12:55 AM PST by ontap
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To: yesthatjallen

Not breaking the law by knocking on a persons door at 8:20 am and the video confirms most of the rest.


8 posted on 11/13/2018 11:12:57 AM PST by jazusamo (Have You Donated to Keep Free Republic Up and Running?)
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To: conservative98
Why go to a house to ask for directions? This is a scam.

For most of my life I would have disagreed with that statement. But today everyone's got a cell phone with GPS on it, don't they?


9 posted on 11/13/2018 11:13:16 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Telepathic Intruder

I agree!!!


10 posted on 11/13/2018 11:13:38 AM PST by ontap
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To: yesthatjallen

Why would people be concerned about a black teen repeatedly knocking on the door during normal week day hours?


11 posted on 11/13/2018 11:14:57 AM PST by The Toll
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To: Vaquero

The kid was not hit. But the video clearly shows the homeowner aiming his gun at the kid as the kid was running away.


12 posted on 11/13/2018 11:15:14 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: dirtboy
I agree he was foolish to shoot indiscriminately.

He reacted to his wifes' reaction to this kid without stopping to learn the facts.

But who stops to think when you're wife is screaming about a stranger at the door?

He overreacted because his wife overreacted.

However, we'll never know this kids' true motive for knocking at this door asking for directions to the school he attends everyday.

13 posted on 11/13/2018 11:16:39 AM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

"...answered the door..."


Why do people insist upon reflexively opening their doors for knocks or doorbells?
If not expecting someone or a specific UPS/FedEx delivery, my technique is to ignore it.
If really interested might view the camera or through the peephole, yet not often.


14 posted on 11/13/2018 11:21:37 AM PST by Blue Jays ( Rock hard ~ Ride free)
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To: Vaquero

I can’t get the NBC link to work. Was the boy hit? How do we know he was running away?

Surveillance video.


15 posted on 11/13/2018 11:23:03 AM PST by Flick Lives
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To: dirtboy

Yep. If the kid’s story is the truth, this guy disgusts me.

Sounds like he got what he deserved.


16 posted on 11/13/2018 11:27:00 AM PST by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 $215.71 frm 50% increase in 1.2183 yrs)
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To: yesthatjallen

People kill people and get less time. He should get time, maybe six months. The kid was not hit.


17 posted on 11/13/2018 11:29:08 AM PST by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: Blue Jays

p.s. That retired firefighter is a flippin’ moron. No reason at all to be shooting at that kid.

18 posted on 11/13/2018 11:30:56 AM PST by Blue Jays ( Rock hard ~ Ride free)
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To: yesthatjallen

I assume the kid was scoping out the house to rob empty homes - the ones where no one responds to repeated knocking. In the real world, no teenager “walking to school” gets lost. If it’s the first day, he shouldn’t be walking if he doesn’t know how to get there. After that, he should know his way.

Despite that, the law does not permit decent homeowners to shoot wannabe burglars who are running away. It was a bad shoot.


19 posted on 11/13/2018 11:34:28 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: dirtboy
Doesn’t really matter - he was running away when the guy fired that shot.

From the article:

"The teen was uninjured in the attack"

Wait. This guy fires a shot in the general direction of someone running away from his porch after his wife said someone was trying to break into their house?

Does not kill fleeing person. Does not even injure fleeing person. Presumably fired the shot over his head to scare fleeing person.

Four to ten years in prison for that? That's nuts.

When I first saw this article, I thought he had killed someone. I didn't realize he hadn't injured him at all and had only scared him, which I think was the entire point.

This is bullsh*t. 30 days in Jail at the most.

20 posted on 11/13/2018 11:37:35 AM PST by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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