Joe Horn

[NM_Shooter]

In a recent NM case with some similarities the shooter ended up going to trial and jail/prison. I believe he's been released; there was a firestorm of public disapproval regarding the prison sentence. Many want Gov. Bill to pardon him, but I don't think he will.

That was Elton John Richard... I was having a hard time trying to figure that one out, and still have not.  The CCW folks told us that once someone is not a threat you better not shoot them.  So I figured that Richard was guilty of being a vigilante and belonged in prison. 

Then I heard that Richard chased his robber to apprehend him, as the robber had told him that he was going to come back and kill his family.  When he finally cornered the guy, he was attacked and at that point felt he had no choice but to pull the trigger. 

The argument for the defense was... if Richard was carrying a gun, why did he run a quarter of a mile to kill the guy?  Why not do it in the front yard?  He was running to apprehend, not kill.

I think it was a stupid thing to do.  But if I was on the jury (given what little I know about this) I probably would not have convicted.

http://eyeonalbuquerque.blogspot.com/2008/03/eye-rate.html

Our gov approves of the judges decision, but I don't know if he will pardon:

http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2008/june/062008_02.pdf

[glenn kangiser]

If true then he likely viewed it as his only chance to catch someone who had threatened to kill his family.  Seems he may have been right but hearsay is hard to take as evidence I guess.

[peternap]

If true then he likely viewed it as his only chance to catch someone who had threatened to kill his family.  Seems he may have been right but hearsay is hard to take as evidence I guess.

In Virginia, that would have been excusable homicide even if he had just shot him. Killing someone to prevent him from harming his family, even if it was only a threat, is excusable.

[glenn kangiser]

Seems logical.

I always view an unknown attacker as someone who wants to kill me. 

A drunk Navy boxer swung on me at a service station after harassing their customers for several hours.  I pushed him back against his car holding both arms and brought my knee up between his legs smashing his huevos, then tripped him to the right, shoved him down on the concrete, sat on his chest holding his arms with my knees and started smashing his head into the slab until he gave up.

Cops took over from there.  I assumed he wanted to kill me, and while I didn't kill him, I wasn't very worried about his welfare.  I think he may have went away with a headache.

[ScottA]

I've only had to pull a gun on a person once in my life. Years ago the lady next door came over for help. Her husband was beating on her. He showed up a few minutes later drunk. I tried to calm him down and talk some sense into him but he wasn't in the mood to listen. He tried to force his way in the house. That's when he met my S&W 357 face to face. His mood changed in a hurry. I marched him off our property and assured him if he came back I'd shoot him. I never saw him again. He moved the next day.

[glenn kangiser]

I'd have introduced him to the police too.  I like to see them do their job.

[ScottA]

People around here generaly don't call the police except in extream cases. They usualy cause more problems than they solve.

[glenn kangiser]

That is totally understandable too.