Man kills robber. Community divided.

[ace_of_something]

[a href=http://www.omaha.com/article/20100427/NEWS97/704279843/0] Man shoots would be robber[/a]
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Let me summarize for you TLNR types.
So, some young young gentleman armed with shotguns (both sawed off and otherwise) and wearing ski-masks entered a ?Walgreens? (its like a general store) with the intention of robbing the place. What the suspects did not count on is that one of the patrons of that Walgreens was armed and competent in the use of his sidearm. The customer than shot and killed one of the three would-be robbers. The robber was shot four times, fled the scene and when found by authorities the wounds proved fatal.
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Cut and dry right?
Wrong-O.

Our community is divided on this. The shooter was an ex guard for an armored car company and thus was licensed to carry a firearm unconcealed, he did not have a permit to carry the firearm concealed, which is how he was carrying it. For this he was given a misdemeanor charge (which is a hefty fine if guilty) and that?s it. He was found of no wrong doing because they victim had a sawed off shotgun pointed at people. Many people take issue with the fact that the shooter was not charged with anything because he fired ?an excessive amount? or that ?he didn?t try to revive the guy he shot? or ?he?s not a hero he didn?t make sure everyone was okay? things of that nature. It's also known that the shotgun wasn't loaded and the other gunman's gun 'might've jammed' so he got lucky. (Though obviously he didn't know that at the time.

Another debate:
In this case all the robbers were all about 17 and 18 years old and black (the neighborhood in question is about 85% African-American) and the shooter is middle aged and white. Well, some people claim he wasn?t charged because of a race issue. The thing with this is that few have explicitly made this claim, though when listening to their arguments on TV and on the websites it's obviously there just bubbling beneath the surface. Especially noticeable is that most of the people who say the shooter was not justified are related to the deceased or from his community. So this could be a 'geographical' issue as well.

edit: People seem to be misunderstand the race thing. It's not that the shooter is accused of racism it's that the police/courts are for not filing charges with the DA and than letting the DA drop them.

If you poke around on that website you can find more articles about the community debate, if you feel so inclined.

Thoughts?

edit: I myself think a good chunk of this 'debate' is pot-stirring by the local media cause all the black people I know seem to think that anyone bringing up race is a dimwit. Though most of them are also cops or at least are friends with one (me )

 

[tzimize]

The guy is a hero.

If a person walks into a store with a sawed off shotgun to rob it I wouldnt aim for the toes either. Race is completely beside the point. The guard was fined for carrying a concealed weapon which is only right I suppose if the law functions that way. In my opinion there is no such thing as an excessive amount of shots.
If some guy had entered my home/workplace with a sawed of shotgun I'd make sure he bit the dust instead of me (providing I had a firearm and opportunity to use it). Sympathy for robbers is pure madness.

 

[The Last Hunter]

Well, his actions were technically alright, since he and others were at risk. Also, 4 rounds may or may not be a natural reflex to him, since a popular practice is to double-tap to make sure the target goes down.

However, he could have attempted to fire less rounds. Because, that really is all that he could have done. Aiming for the knees is a rather unrealistic expectation, and attempting to hold them in a stand-off would have just lead to him getting shot. Also, how was the shooter supposed to revive the guy that was shot? I mean, he did run away after all, and it's just not smart to go chasing the fellow.

That's my opinion on the matter. The shooter acted in self-defense, and quite possibly saved some lives

 

[Agayek]

The guy is a hero.

If a person walks into a store with a sawed off shotgun to rob it I wouldnt aim for the toes either. Race is completely beside the point. The guard was fined for carrying a concealed weapon which is only right I suppose if the law functions that way. In my opinion there is no such thing as an excessive amount of shots.
If some guy had entered my home/workplace with a sawed of shotgun I'd make sure he bit the dust instead of me (providing I had a firearm and opportunity to use it). Sympathy for robbers is pure madness.

Basically this. Sympathy for criminals is a terrible thing. They made the choice to invade the store with guns, if they happen to die because of it, it's their own dumb fault.

I'm kinda undecided on the fine. I'd have to agree that he should be fined because he was violating the conditions of his permit, but I'm against government regulation in almost all forms by priciple so I'd have to oppose the fine there, as he used the weapon responsibly.

 

[Sonicron]

He was wearing a ski mask and had a shotgun, which was justification enough for preventative actions in my books.

What he said.

Oh, and anyone who'd try making a racial issue out of this needs to get their head on straight. It was an armed robbery, for crying out loud! These folks were being threatened by perps with shotguns! If I'd been able to defend myself in this way it's not unlikely I would have done the same, with not even a single thought as to the skin color of the robber or anyone else around me.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

I support the shooter. If some guys come in trying to hold up a store, and you can do something about it. You do something about it. No race issue there.

The charge for concealing his weapon is justified. The lack of charge for causing the death of the robber is also justified. He used the force required to get the robbers out of the store, preventing any harm to other customers or the employees, it's just a sad (apparently) consequence that the attempted criminal died of wounds sustained breaking the law.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I don't see how this is even debatable.

The only thing that says he was wrong in carrying a gun was the law, and the only people saying that he handled the situation badly were the people that think everyone has a moral obligation to care about others before themselves.

So what if he didn't check if everyone was okay or tried to help the guy he shot? I didn't know it was a crime to just look out for yourself.

 

[TeutonicKuja]

The guy is a hero.

If a person walks into a store with a sawed off shotgun to rob it I wouldnt aim for the toes either. Race is completely beside the point. The guard was fined for carrying a concealed weapon which is only right I suppose if the law functions that way. In my opinion there is no such thing as an excessive amount of shots.
If some guy had entered my home/workplace with a sawed of shotgun I'd make sure he bit the dust instead of me (providing I had a firearm and opportunity to use it). Sympathy for robbers is pure madness.

Basically this. Sympathy for criminals is a terrible thing. They made the choice to invade the store with guns, if they happen to die because of it, it's their own dumb fault.

I completely agree, the majority of people would have done the same. If they're going to go ahead and try to rob somewhere, they've got to be prepared for the consequences

 

[Kouen]

Guy did what was right its clear cut to me

 

[internetzealot1]

"wasn't charged because of the race issue." Yeah, thats backwards.

 

[imgunagitusucka]

The robbers placed themselves at risk of a violent protest from the store clerk, customers or the police. Anyone who does not want the risk of being shot and killed would not don a ski mask, equip themselves with a shotgun, team up with an accomplice, and enter an establishment with intent to steal. He rolled the dice and crapped out...it's his own fault.

 

[Sonicron]

He was wearing a ski mask and had a shotgun, which was justification enough for preventative actions in my books.

What he said.

Oh, and anyone who'd try making a racial issue out of this needs to get their head on straight. It was an armed robbery, for crying out loud! These folks were being threatened by perps with shotguns! If I'd been able to defend myself in this way it's not unlikely I would have done the same, with not even a single thought as to the skin color of the robber or anyone else around me.

In fact, I would have loaded the entire clip in to the thief, just to make sure he ain't going anywhere.

I don't know how many rounds I would unload, I've never been in a scenario like this and as such have difficulty predicting how I would act.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I just shot a guy with a shotgun and ski mask four times. Now I'm going to ask his friends politely to stand aside and allow me to inspect his injuries, and provide any aid if required. I'm sure they're upstanding gentlemen, as is inherent in individuals who rob places with shotguns and ski masks.

You are most certainly a fine gentleman. Had it not been for you doing such an intelligent and rational thing like this, I would've sued your ass for being a cold-blooded killer, then tried to put you in jail for this heinous crime we call "Self-defense"

 

[Insanum]

It was a stressful situation.

In my opinion, Those robbers forfieted any civilian rights the moment they donned on the masks and decided to rob a store.

If i was the guard i'd do exactly the same thing.

 

[Sonicron]

He was wearing a ski mask and had a shotgun, which was justification enough for preventative actions in my books.

What he said.

Oh, and anyone who'd try making a racial issue out of this needs to get their head on straight. It was an armed robbery, for crying out loud! These folks were being threatened by perps with shotguns! If I'd been able to defend myself in this way it's not unlikely I would have done the same, with not even a single thought as to the skin color of the robber or anyone else around me.

In fact, I would have loaded the entire clip in to the thief, just to make sure he ain't going anywhere.

I don't know how many rounds I would unload, I've never been in a scenario like this and as such have difficulty predicting how I would act.

Well, if you're not trained for it chances are you WILL unload the entire clip. That's just what people tend to do in stressful situations.

Probably, yes. I am trained in the use of firearms (from my short time in the Bundeswehr), but in situations like this you probably throw rationality out the window in favor of making sure the other guy stays down.