LanceOregon
Moderator
I don't know about the rest of you, but I found this to be a most troubling case, as one can easily see both sides of this controversy. A retired 62 year old man by the name of Joe Horn spots two illegal aliens ( both with records ) burglarizing his neighbors home. The 911 operator advises him to not go outside and confront them, and let the police handle the situation.
But when he sees the men leaving with over $2,000 worth of his neighbors property, he decides to confront them with his 12 gauge shotgun. The two men are unarmed, but come onto his property as they are leaving. Horn feels threatened for his safety as they approach and fires. Both men are killed by shots to their back.
Here are mug shots taken previously of the two dead men, who were both from Columbia and illegally in the country. Both had prior arrests:
This story really divided the Houston community deeply, as black and latino activists claimed racism and murder by Horn. Protests were held at his home, and it was picketed. And the largest protest event, though, protesters found themselves overwhelmed with people from all over Houston, who came out to counter-protest on Horn's behalf.
Here is a photo taken during this confrontation:
The crowd of Horn supporters totally overwhelmed the protesters:
The protests actually caused the Houston City Council to pass an ordinance banning demonstrations and picketing at residences, thus putting an end to the confrontations. It was feared that if they had continued, that violence might eventually break out.
Here is a link to the first report by the Houston Chronicle about the Grand Jury's refusal to indict Joe Horn:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5864151.html
The hearings were held in secret, so no one can report on what specifically took place during them. But it was noted that in order to return a charge against Horn, 9 of the 12 jurors would of had to agree to charge him. So that obviously did not take place. So even if a simple majority of jurors agreed that Horn should have been indicted, that would not have been enough to make it happen. The actual vote count is also secret.
The above web page also has a recording of the 911 call that Horn made to police. So you can actually hear everything that was said by both Horn and the 911 operator during the burglary. Listening to this tape does shed a great deal of light on the issue.
For the operator repeatedly warned Horn during the call to not go outside, and to let the police handle the matter. And as Horn finally left to confront the men, he actually made the statement: "I'm going to kill them."
Here is a follow-up report by the Houston Chronicle, with additional information:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5865155.html
Would you have done what Horn did, if you had been in his shoes? And if you did, do you think that your local community would have supported you, as Horn received so much support in Houston?? Burglary apparently went up significantly in Houston last year, according to the city's crime statistics. And many folks are becoming frustrated over problems involving illegal immigration.
It is hard to know if the Grand Jury really followed the letter of the law here, or if jurors simply did not feel comfortable in putting the 62 yr old Horn through criminal charges. One would normally think that shooting people in the back is a major no-no when it comes to self defense.
Hopefully we can have rational discussion about this most difficult case, and not get too emotional about it.
.
But when he sees the men leaving with over $2,000 worth of his neighbors property, he decides to confront them with his 12 gauge shotgun. The two men are unarmed, but come onto his property as they are leaving. Horn feels threatened for his safety as they approach and fires. Both men are killed by shots to their back.
Here are mug shots taken previously of the two dead men, who were both from Columbia and illegally in the country. Both had prior arrests:
This story really divided the Houston community deeply, as black and latino activists claimed racism and murder by Horn. Protests were held at his home, and it was picketed. And the largest protest event, though, protesters found themselves overwhelmed with people from all over Houston, who came out to counter-protest on Horn's behalf.
Here is a photo taken during this confrontation:
The crowd of Horn supporters totally overwhelmed the protesters:
The protests actually caused the Houston City Council to pass an ordinance banning demonstrations and picketing at residences, thus putting an end to the confrontations. It was feared that if they had continued, that violence might eventually break out.
Here is a link to the first report by the Houston Chronicle about the Grand Jury's refusal to indict Joe Horn:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5864151.html
The hearings were held in secret, so no one can report on what specifically took place during them. But it was noted that in order to return a charge against Horn, 9 of the 12 jurors would of had to agree to charge him. So that obviously did not take place. So even if a simple majority of jurors agreed that Horn should have been indicted, that would not have been enough to make it happen. The actual vote count is also secret.
The above web page also has a recording of the 911 call that Horn made to police. So you can actually hear everything that was said by both Horn and the 911 operator during the burglary. Listening to this tape does shed a great deal of light on the issue.
For the operator repeatedly warned Horn during the call to not go outside, and to let the police handle the matter. And as Horn finally left to confront the men, he actually made the statement: "I'm going to kill them."
Here is a follow-up report by the Houston Chronicle, with additional information:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5865155.html
Would you have done what Horn did, if you had been in his shoes? And if you did, do you think that your local community would have supported you, as Horn received so much support in Houston?? Burglary apparently went up significantly in Houston last year, according to the city's crime statistics. And many folks are becoming frustrated over problems involving illegal immigration.
It is hard to know if the Grand Jury really followed the letter of the law here, or if jurors simply did not feel comfortable in putting the 62 yr old Horn through criminal charges. One would normally think that shooting people in the back is a major no-no when it comes to self defense.
Hopefully we can have rational discussion about this most difficult case, and not get too emotional about it.
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