80 Year old Man attacked by burglars, One shot.

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While his age and possible mental capacity may come in to play it’s difficult to see how he was justified to shoot a fleeing suspect.
 
From the sloppy reporting, it's hard to say what exactly happened.
Where was the gun - on him, or in another part of the house?
Were the robbers still in the house when he shot her?
Were they still possibly a threat?
Did the woman die?
Was she actually pregnant?
Were there any witnesses?
Lots of unknowns.
 
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Too may unknowns here.

What I will speculate is that like many 70 + folks I know they would rather fight to protect what is theirs and take their chances with a jury

The adage of judged by 12 vs carried by 6 comes to mind..
 
The intruders were fleeing. The report said that the woman was shot dead. While I would love to say "good riddance to bad trash", he was lo longer in danger when he pulled the trigger.
 
The story is so incomplete that it is hard to say whether the shooting was justified, but one clear error that the man made is talking to the media.
 
An 80 year old protecting himself from two youngsters would come under the "egg shell" defense in my mind.

However, I cant see shooting a fleeing suspect as being a defensive act.

But I wasn't there.
 
Doesn't sound defensive to me, but from what I read and heard the couple had robbed him twice before, and this time attacked him physically, both of them. So maybe the jury can sort it out, but perhaps an 80-year old can certainly be in fear for his life even when the assailants have left his house.
 
You all should be prohibited from answering until you are 80 !!

Then you'll say they tried to take me out , take my stuff , planning to come back and finish me off. That's capital punishment !!
 
Your house has just been broken into, you have been attacked by both people, in the heat of the moment you grab your gun and shoot one of them, when they try to run. Right or wrong, they would never convict him if I was on that jury. Of course I would probably get blackballed and never make the final cut for the jury. That's the way it usually works.
 
One other lesson to be learned from this incident is NOT to run your mouth after a shooting.

Comments like this, whether true or just bluster in the heat of the moment will NOT help.

“She was dead. I shot her twice, she best be dead … (The man) had run off and left her,” he said. “I’ve never in my life shot anybody, killed anybody.”

“I shot her so that’s going to leave a message on his mind for the rest of his life,” he added.​
You don't shoot multiple times to make sure someone's dead. Maybe that's not what he meant to say, but that's what people will remember him saying.

You don't shoot criminals to send a message to other criminals.

You shoot to save your life, or the lives of other innocents and you stop shooting when the situation is resolved, whether that means the criminal has expired, has fled, or has simply stopped attacking.

Maybe the shooting was justified, maybe it wasn't. But if the homeowner ends up in jail, a large part of the reason will be his inability to keep his mouth shut.
 
Sometimes it's better to not say anything. This is proof. He could be convicted by his own words. Remember what Joe Friday said, "anything you say . . . "
 
More details are coming out now. They change things and certainly show he should have kept his mouth shut.
 
I am 79 in October. I shoot good, not in bad condition physically.

Had 2 stents fitted in 2011, take medication. Seems like I would require medical attention after a shooting, ambulance for any injured individuals, and me.

Been involved in lots of physical fights in my younger years, (Bouncer for 5 years in Liverpool UK, 1960 till 1965) the first thing I expect the Lawyer will do, negate the interview!

The difference in your thoughts, watching a front sight, pressing a trigger, and talking about those actions some time later? Massive.
 
I'd think that statements to the press would NEVER be a good move, regardless of how justified the shooting.
 
What kind of woman robs a house while 8 months pregnant? I'm guessing she was a drug addict. I couldn't bring myself to shoot a pregnant woman. Then again I wasn't robbed 3 times and beaten by these drug addicts either.
 
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