Boy shot while tp'ing mans home

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I'm not saying it moral and I wouldn't have shot anyone for tp'ing my house but in Texas it would have been a legal shot.

TP'ing a house is considered criminal mischief and committing criminal mischief at night automatically a 3rd degree felony and is protected under Texas Penal Code 9.42 (Deadly Force To Protect Property) sec. (2)(A).
 
Sure vandals are a pain in the butt, I don't think I would have shot one though. Not willing to lose my right to own firearms over that. Besides, there are more fun ways to mess with vandals, just have to get creative. :)
 
Beanbag rounds? Taser? Bear spray?
How about "Hey, get the **** out of here!!"

Obviously no one wants to clean up toilet paper in their yard, but wow, some of you guys are a little harsh. I don't know if you can even really call it vandalism.

I know alot of people have the whole "my house is my castle" thing going on, but it's toilet paper for God's sake. Great bodily harm seems a little excessive.

I hope the guy goes to jail for a long time.

I'm not saying it moral and I wouldn't have shot anyone for tp'ing my house but in Texas it would have been a legal shot.

TP'ing a house is considered criminal mischief and committing criminal mischief at night automatically a 3rd degree felony and is protected under Texas Penal Code 9.42 (Deadly Force To Protect Property) sec. (2)(A).
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It makes a difference what time you do it?
I'm not saying I don't believe you about how the law is written, but I have a hard time believing you could legally kill someone for throwing a roll of toilet paper into a tree. If so, I don't even know what to say. Sad and scary at the same time. They may want to re-think how that one is written.
 
It makes a difference what time you do it?
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Yep, during the day it's a Class C misdemeanor but at night time (no real time, just dark) it makes it a 3rd degree felony.

I've got a copy of the Penal Code right in front of me doing homework for a class I'm having to take for work.
 
Actually this called for a certain amount of violence. The home owner should have used rotten eggs
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This I can get on board with. Eggs, a well placed bb or a hail of paintballs; something like that.
I am still astounded that a state could have a law on the books that would allow for the use of deadly force. I wouldn't even expect this in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, (where they stone people and cut off hands), but Texas?
Again Hoytinak, I do believe you, I am just shocked.
 
My biggest concern here are the number that don't see anything wrong with vandalizing, and yes I consider TP'ing a house vandalizing, someone's home. Although I would not shoot the punks that go around doing this I am not sure I would call 911 for them if they got shot. A person that does this has no respect for others and is a low form of life. Sadly many of them grow up to be politicians which fits right in with the low form of life.

/rant off.
 
For the love of GOD, what the hell is wrong with some of you people??? I hate criminals about as much as most any other criminal hater does, but to state it is ok to purposely KILL a kid for pulling a stupid prank???!!! One that washes away with a hose or the next few rainstorms or a ladder and some time...are you insane??

I am disgusted by you people, and if I feel that way then just imagine how anti gunners would feel about you and therefore all firearm owners??

Shame on all of you who feel it is right to kill a young teenager, a 14 year old BOY, for a dumb joke. If we all faced the same judgement then very few of us would be alive today, for God knows we have all done much dumber things in our youth than throw a roll of toilet paper into a tree.

Guns are to protect your life against burglars, rapists, murderers, and corrupt governments, not from dumb little kids who haven't even lived long enough to know what life is about and are giggling as they go about a silly, albeit annoying, joke.

I am beside myself with disbelief and embarassment to be associated with a group who would end a boy's life for that.
 
I agree that there really isn't a lot of information given. If it was a dark night and the kids were banging on the windows or doing something similar...who knows? It's astonishing what a 14 year old kid thinks is a good idea. Get a group of them together and you've got a 50/50 chance on whether they build a robot that or chose to drink paint in the shed.

That said, it I suspect it only takes about one incident like this to discourage most vandalism for a generation or two.
 
Sounds to me like this is guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. In my day tit for tat t'ping was a something we did all the time. Its a form of vandilism I can live with. People shooting childern for t'ping houses I cant live with. Thats the same for shooting them with bean bags, tazers, rubber rounds..
 
I have a hard time believing you could legally kill someone for throwing a roll of toilet paper into a tree.
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Well according to the article, the prosecutor's office is looking into the possibility of charges being filed, so this obviously can't be OK in the eyes of the law.
 
THis is what the good Lord made lawn sprinklers for, to turn on when you have a yard full of kids tossing the charmin.


THis is a guy who should go to jail. The shooter, not the kid, at least from the two different news sources I have found. There was no implied threat. there was no aggressive action, and there was fear of GBH. therefore, its attempted murder.


What had happened if there were a couple of cheer leaders out there Chalking his driveway with Heather (hearts) joey? or If it had been a little old lady picking up dog Pooh her little terrier had laid on his grass?


Had he fired one shot, then realized that Oh )(*)*) what did I do?!? and called 911 while trying to save the kid, ok, but shoot three times, when there was no apparent weapon? Sorry, thats attempted murder.


GBH is the threshold, and he from all listed sources, had no fear of GBH.
 
I think people who find 'pranks' like that funny or that would even consider doing them obnoxious. I don't think its funny or cute or defensible and my first instinct is to severely brutalize people who do.

It is really sad that you can't even get away with giving little punks like that a beating and if instead of doing the same to them, their permissive, overprotective parents want to defend them and retaliate against me, I'd like to do the same to them or worse.

Conversely I don't think he should have shot at them, or done anything other than call the police, because sadly thats the kind of society we live in. The reason is so many of the present day 'adults' are just as obnoxious and in-mature as the little punk kids they raised are.:mad:
 
Based on the information given the homeowner was 100% wrong and should face charges. I can understand investigating with weapon in hand, but was his sight so bad he couldn’t see it was just kids TP’ing his house? Then he had to shoot 3 times???!!! I’m not condoning what these kids did, but this was overkill on the homeowner’s part. Considering the things kids get into these days TP’ing is pretty tame. It was just kids being kids. They should be punished, but let the punishment fit the crime.

This guy should never own a firearm again and should spend a few years in jail. Hopefully the kid has no permanent injuries.
 
Before you leave Keltyke, you should concede that I condoned no violence here.
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I agree, grym, and you're correct. My apologies if I seemed to jump hard, I just couldn't believe the tone of some of the other posts and I reacted. We're cool.

You're right, the boy DID learn a lesson, even though it was a hard one. However, sometimes those are the ones that stick with you. The bottom line is he's going to be ok and the homeowner (hopefully) will learn you can't crank off three rounds of buckshot for a TP incident.

Yes, I know in TX it's a 3rd class felony - but give me a break people. Use come temperance and common sense. We're supposed to be the adults here. Make the punishment fit the crime.
 
Yes, I know in TX it's a 3rd class felony - but give me a break people. Use come temperance and common sense. We're supposed to be the adults here. Make the punishment fit the crime
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So, I take it you was talking about me earlier. I did say that I didn't think it was moral and that I wouldn't have done it....I was just stating how the law (here anyways) was written.
 
As previously stated, . . . can't fix stupid on either side here, . . . what is done, is done.

I wonder though, . . . as having had an aquaintance go through a terrible ordeal where he shot a 16 year old, . . . and wound up doing a year for it.

He had moved into a brand new subdivision, . . . very few houses were finished, . . . quite a number in various stages of construction, . . . and one night 3 or 4 teenagers came over and as he stated it, . . . were looking for something to steal.

He put his .44 Mag, Ruger, in his waistband behind him, . . . went out and challenged the kids, . . . told them he'd call the cops if they didn't get out and stay out.

I guess they cussed him real good, . . . then one of them picked up a piece of 2 x 4 and they started as a mob toward him.

My point? Unless you knew the last paragraph, . . . you would think his shooting at them would be totally inhumane, unjustified, stupid, reckless, etc.

Perhaps there was more to the TP'ing than we all know, . . . as I cannot in my wildest imagination, . . . think that a responsible, sane person would shoot a kid over a stupid prank like that.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Who paid for the toilet paper?

Sneaking paid for by Mum or Dad toilet paper out of the house to waste! He or they would be hot bottomed if they were my kids, money does not grow on trees.

Bird shot, not buck shot, buck shot would have a dead teen, as none of us where there, what actually happened? What type of vandalism had taken place before? Health of home owner?

And remember, as my Dad said, the only true print in a Newspaper was on the front page, at the top, the price.
 
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