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.
"...if he was seven..."
Yeah, and when the door isnt answered, burglars assume no ones home and break in, providing the opportunity for a good shoot and one less violent criminal.
Horsesh*t. He rides the bus to school every day in the same direction. He is not an infant, even if he was, he would still be able to walk to school. Kids have done it for years.
If you believe he was “lost and asking for directions” then you would also believe it would be fine to let your 12 year old daughter hangout with her Muslim soccer coach. Nothing I can do for you.
"...He rides the bus to school everyday in the same direction..."
Nope. When you belong to a demographic that is 3% of the population and commits over 50% of homicides, you forfeit your right to go knock on people’s doors. A first grader would know how to get to school.
"...you are out of your mind..."
Not at all. Totally retarded way to employ a firearm.
But, the kid was there to break into the house.
"...you forfeit your right to knock on doors [being black]..."
"...totally retarded way to employ a firearm..."
"...the kid was there to break into the house..."
Not a single bit conflicted. The homeowners actions were not within the acceptable limits of self defence, and the prosecution’s fairy tale of what the kid was up to is complete bullshit.
"...Not a single bit conflicted..."
Indeed. If you are Black between the ages of 15 and 35, people expect crime from you. It has been earned. You must behave accordingly.
WOW...
<<Indeed. If you are Black between the ages of 15 and 35, people expect crime from you. It has been earned. You must behave accordingly.
Again... WOW!
I can’t even fathom a response to the insanity of this response.
At least you wear your overt racism proudly on your shoulder...
"...WOW!..."
I finally looked at the video. It seems to me that the man hesitated. He had a chance to fire immediately and did not, and when he did so you could not actually see where his shot went.
The kid looks completely harmless. He also looks like a young version of Denzel Washington.
I do not believe the man was trying to kill him, and I think the accusation of attempted murder is ridiculous. You are probably right about the plea deal. I can see the man thinking he wouldn't be convicted, but I can see he did not reckon with the emotional arguments that sway jurors.
Jurors are not always rational, and I can see them buying into all the accusations of attempted murder the prosecutor threw at them.
I think they made a point to make an example out of this guy, and I think he gambled wrong in not taking a plea deal of some sort.
I think from his perspective he didn't see himself as doing anything wrong at all, and certainly not sufficiently wrong to suffer the punishment they have given him. I think he thought he would win a trial, and then got the shock of his life when he didn't.
I think all his current contrition is an effort to plead for leniency in the future. He's now caught in the system, and that is a terrible place for anyone to be.
I have no personal experience with it myself (thank God) but I've known many who have. Prison wrecks a man's life, sometimes horribly.
Also from what was posted earlier, the guy seems to be excessively impulsive.
Not convincing proof in my opinion. I've seen judges juries and prosecutors go off the rails plenty of times. In a few cases in which I had personal knowledge of specific cases, the Juries got it absolutely wrong.
Juries, Judges and prosecutors are a crap shoot. I think *MOST* of the time they get it right, but when they get it wrong, it just makes me shake my head.
The innocence project is an example of literally hundreds of cases that Judges, Juries and Prosecutors got absolutely and completely wrong.
I watched the video. Attempted murder is not supported by the video evidence in my opinion. Reckless endangerment maybe. Illegally discharging a firearm. Sure. Murder? If he was going to murder the kid, he would have fired faster, and he wouldn't have missed. He would also have fired more than once if he did miss.
I think the jury was not objective. I think they were emotionally stampeded into giving this verdict.
Maybe that's why they convicted him of assult and firearms offenses instead.
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