Cedar Hill Homeowner Shoots Driveway Burglar

[KD5NRH]

but I don't use that new fangled stuff like PHP or APL.

Where have you been? APL was released in 1967.

Oh yeah, this case may bring up a point I have made before. When you catch a criminal int he act and tell him to freeze or stop, you are making an arrest. What are you going to do with him when he does obey, or if he does not?

If he obeys, get him proned out where he can't see me so I can have my gun holstered when the PD shows up. If he doesn't, then just like any other situation, it will depend on how he refuses to obey.

[Target1911]

Just a tad more background info..............

I work with the sister of the criminal that was shot.....He was released from prison just 2 months ago, tho I dont know why he was there. But it goes to show that this idiot was a habitual offender and deserved what he got.

I would like to add that I Honestly have the deepest sympathy for what the family is going through from their loss.

I will relay any more info as I get it........

[LCP_Dogg]

I agree, too many what if scenarios here..

I would stay inside the house calling the police - not worth it for a car stereo.

If he "fled" I would follow him in my other vehicle until I could get police on his tail.

[BTin]

I personally disagree. I don't believe a car stereo is equal to a person's life. I don't care if it is lawful or not.

Please put up a WELCOME CRIMINALS sign so they will go steal your stuff instead.

First of all, just because I am not willing to shoot someone over property, doesn't mean I am not willing to defend my property. I am just not willing to defend my property with deadly force. So, this doesn't make sense. If the guy is in my house, then different story.

Second of all, I agree that fighting with someone like that is not a good idea. Thanks for pointing that out. However, if the guy is unarmed, he advances on you, and you shoot him, it is questionable on whether that would get a clean bill from a grand jury (in my humble opinion). One need look no further than the poor man in Arizona who went on a hike, and wound up in jail.

I know that most likely the bad guy would run away if he even saw you. However, from the story above, even a weapon doesn't scare some people. What then? I personally don't want to end up in jail.

[BTin]

If you do not want to shoot him over property (and there is a lot of merit to that moral position), do not go out there at all. Call the police while he is in the act or the insurance company afterwards, but do not go out there with that attitude.

I think this is the answer.

I got my CHL to defend my life, my wife's life, and other's lives. If I go out there at all, then I am putting myself in a dangerous position where I could get hurt. That would defeat the whole purpose of me defending myself.

I can replace things a lot easier than my health, life, or my spouse's life. I happen to like my wife very much! And I think she likes me too.

[nils]

I read somewhere that most murders happen during the commission of a robbery....so I totally support the guys actions here.....don't rob/steal from people, and you won't eat lead....pretty easy in my eyes....

[KaiserB]

I will let my nerd show here. Criminals need to learn the equation that in Texas:

if (Break into a car || Break into a house)
{
Your.Body = Full of lead;
}

Wouldn't...

Code: Select all

<?php
     if ($person != UpToAnyGood) then {
          $person = leaves;
          } else {
          $person = shot;
     }
?>

...be what a slightly nerdier way of saying it?

You forgot the "do loop" until the weapon is empty...

[austin]

But, I think the homeowner may be in bigger trouble than we would like. I will point out that the crime occurred at 7:30 AM. This is not nighttime in most places I can think of in Texas.

We need to hear the whole story about the incident and not jump to conclusions. The thief could have attacked the citizen or the thief could have threatened him. Maybe the citizen was a woman and the thief was a 6'6" MMA fighter with full sleeves.

As for picking fights, the odds are against the LEO due to the large number of encounters, but for the homeowner standing her ground, they have got to be aggressive and assertive as they have no expertise in sizing up the situation and must assume the worst.

[Kythas]

My car got broken into two weeks ago while I was at a Stars game. As the Stars were losing 6-2 at the end of two periods, we decided to leave early.

I got back to my car and discovered my window broken, the door dented and scratched because the thief apparently couldn't break the window successfully the first couple of times he tried, and my portable GPS and a digital camera stolen.

Almost $800 in damage to my car, $449 to replace the GPS, and insurance wouldn't cover the camera as it was 4-5 years old and the depreciation made it worth almost nothing. ($500 deductible for my auto policy, GPS was covered under homeowner's policy, which also has $500 deductible, so I'm out $949 out of pocket)

As my car was in the shop getting fixed all last week, and I was having to ride my motorcycle to and from work in 30 degree weather, I was sure thinking that I would have shot the guy breaking into my car if I'd caught him.

[The Annoyed Man]

You forgot the "do loop" until the weapon is empty...

Oopsie! Here you go...

Code: Select all

<?php
     if ($person != UpToAnyGood) then {
          $person = leaves;
          $phone = police;
          } else {
               $pistol = 1911;
               $cartridges = (7 + 1);
               $bang = $cartridges;
               do {
                    $bang++;
                    echo $bang. "<br />";
               while ($bang < 9);
               }
          $person = shot;
          $reload = 7;
          $phone = morgue;
          }
?>

Is that better?

[Captain Matt]

I don't believe a car stereo is equal to a person's life.

They're not equal. A car stereo has a positive worth. Criminals are a drain on society.

[fickman]

Well, I guess I am officially not nerdy enough any more. I could write it in FORTRAN, COBOL, Pascal, or BASIC if you like line numbers, but I don't use that new fangled stuff like PHP or APL.

I graduated from UNT in '03 and took more than three semesters of COBOL for my degree. :) Employers are desperate for COBOL proggers.

You forgot the "do loop" until the weapon is empty...

Oopsie! Here you go...

Code: Select all

<?php
     if ($person != UpToAnyGood) then {
          $person = leaves;
          $phone = police;
          } else {
               $pistol = 1911;
               $cartridges = (7 + 1);
               $bang = $cartridges;
               do {
                    $bang++;
                    echo $bang. "<br />";
               while ($bang < 9);
               }
          $person = shot;
          $reload = 7;
          $phone = morgue;
          }
?>

Is that better?

I know you're being funny. . . but I was taught "shoot until the threat is stopped". Anytime I do mental scenarios, I plan on firing in twos while continually assessing the threat. Is there a general consensus around here?

In this instance, I'd probably engage the BG, but only fire if he turned his focus towards me and became a legitimate threat to me or my family. If he flees in the other direction, I'll just try to remember as many facts as possible.

[Target1911]

They're not equal. A car stereo has a positive worth. Criminals are a drain on society.

[Bunkins]

The code talk cracks me up I only know Basic and C, still working my way towards the others




I honestly don't know if I could shoot someone for stealing a car stereo. I'm one of those guys that has several thousand in my stereo's, and in 2 trucks. But the guy would still have to threaten my life before I'd consider killing someone. Yeah the equipment cost me a lot, hrs and hrs of hard work, but it's not worth a life.. If someone was trying to steal one of my trucks, thats a different story, I have to have those trucks, without them I cant haul feed, I'd have a hard time taking care of animals, not to mention dozens of other things. Those trucks are a big part of my life, I have to have them to do the things I need to do, it would be a big negative impact to my life and other lives as well.. In that case, I would pull the trigger. I can live without a stereo for a while though..

I do respect yall's opinion's, you see it in a different way than I do, thats your thing. There is just nothing in my truck's that I consider worth a life except for the vehicle as a whole.

[The Annoyed Man]

I know you're being funny. . . but I was taught "shoot until the threat is stopped". Anytime I do mental scenarios, I plan on firing in twos while continually assessing the threat. Is there a general consensus around here?

"Shoot to stop the threat" would be the correct answer. You're right. I was just trying to be funny. The reason "shoot until the gun is empty" doesn't work is two-fold: 1) it might complicate your legal situation; and 2) since you cannot know with absolute certainty that that perpetrator is flying solo, you need to have ammunition left to deal with the potentials. Besides, as I posted earlier, I think that exiting the home in this case was a tactical error on the homeowner's part, and he is darned lucky that it worked out for him.