Boy shot while tp'ing mans home

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I was just reading the news and came across this. Sounds really sketchy:


SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A toilet paper prank has led to the shooting of a 14-year-old by a southwestern Michigan man who believed strangers were trying to break into his home.

The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV report the victim and four other teens were pulling the prank about 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in Solon Township, about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.

Kent County sheriff's Lt. Jerry Miedema said the teens were intent on draping the house in toilet paper, while the homeowner's "intent was to come out shooting."

Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.

The homeowner was not arrested, but a prosecutor is looking into possible charges.
 
You can't fix stupid. On either side of the mess.
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Well yes you can.... at least in this case. I don't think the boy-full-o-buckshot will be TP-ing anyone's house again and as for the homeowner; if he's brought up the on the charges that he's likely to be, he won't be shooting stupid teenage pranksters anymore.

Too bad that most nobody else will find lessons learned here.
 
Well yes you can.... at least in this case. I don't think the boy-full-o-buckshot will be TP-ing anyone's house again
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Getting shot for simple trespass and malicious mischief? That's a hard line you draw for a "lesson", grymster. What if it were your kid? Someone shoots my kid for TPing a yard has a serious problem with me, even if the AG let's him off.

and as for the homeowner; if he's brought up the on the charges that he's likely to be, he won't be shooting stupid teenage pranksters anymore.
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Charges? Let's start with assault with intent to kill.

The punishment does NOT fit the crime.

I'm glad the kid is going to be OK. I hope it haunts the homeowner until he dies.

Getting shot ain't temporary - dead is permanent. Let's exercise and accept some gun owner responsibility, people.
 
I'll reserve judgement until more of the facts are known. The story doesn't really give enough to go on.
 
Bean-bag

Beanbag shotgun shells, or a taser would have been what i would have used. now before everyone jumps on me for saying that, just keep this in mind, i would never TP anyones house, or home, so dont TP me, or your getting shocked. I dont care if its a prank, my home is my castle, and i would not allow anyone to come in and trash it, so no one will trash the outside of it.
 
Understand that as a civilian anything fired out of a shotgun is automatically considered deadly force. Use deadly force when not warranted and go to jail.

The use of a taser would be borderline. Unless you challenged them and they failed to desist shocking them would normally be considered unreasonable force by most juries.

It's toilet paper people. Worth a scolding, yes. Worth calling the cops, sure. Worth inflicting physical harm on another person for, grow up.
 
Getting shot for simple trespass and malicious mischief? That's a hard line you draw for a "lesson", grymster.
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What if it were your kid?
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A good friend of mine brought over his child (who was eighteen or nineteen at the time)to my house. The boy has been in juvenile trouble that indiicates that burglary might also be in either his repertoire or that of his friends. The kid dropped out of school, doesn't work, mooches off his parents. Mom won't let Dad kick his worthless butt out.

I've got some valuable possessions. After noticing him eyeing some stuff, I asked Charles, his father, to tell him what my reaction would be if I found the son in my house uninvited. Charles said,"Jonathan, he would shoot here(touches his son's center of mass) many times." without blinking an eye.

I told Jonathan,"I would also put flowers on your grave and pray for your soul."

Now Jonathan has since been arrested for being part of a burglary ring that hit many area homes.

But, for some reason, they didn't hit here.

Reckon I connected with his inner child.
 
The boy has been in juvenile trouble

if I found the son in my house uninvited. Charles said,"Jonathan, he would shoot here(touches his son's center of mass) many times." without blinking an eye.
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That's a BIG jump from simple TPing a house. It's not even a remote parallel.

I can't believe some of you people. Bean bag ammo? TASERing? I'm with you, Musketeer.

I'm also out of this thread.
 
three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital.
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[zipping into my Nomex suit] This is one instance in which the homeowner was fortunate to only use birdshot.
 
Bear pepper spray would have been a good idea...surveillance of the situation to determine if it really was a life threatening attack would have been a good idea...

This gives me a GREAT idea...you know those fire extinguishers they have at gas stations over the pumps? I am going to market one with pepper spray outside people's houses!
 
grymster, you are right, of course. There are most definitely clear lessons to be learned here (or available to be learned) by those in the story and others reading the story.

1. It's not wise to pull pranks such as this. Among other things, you can get yourself shot. You shouldn't get shot (imho), but that is beside the point.

2. Don't shoot people running around in your yard with toilet paper. Even if they throw it on your house (if, indeed, that is all that happened in this incident).
 
Understand that as a civilian anything fired out of a shotgun is automatically considered deadly force. Use deadly force when not warranted and go to jail.
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This bears repeating. You theoretically could kill someone with a "non-lethal" projectile, let alone the fact that it's excessive force to begin with.

Even if it wasn't, I'd hate to be the guy who reached for his "rubber buckshot" or pepper spray round and accidentally grabbed 000 magnum or something.
 
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