General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: No charges filed against homeowner accused of shooting Bo Morrison [View all]krispos42
(49,445 posts)...you're likely right. Unless the teen had a criminal history or had an intention of committing a crime and this information is not coming to light, then you're right.
And running from the police is not a legitimate cause for the homeowner to shoot him. Hiding in his yard is also not a legitimate cause to shoot him.
That's not the issue.
The issue is that when the homeowner pulled the trigger, it was reasonable for him to be very concerned about his and his family's safety and health. Or so the police report said, at any rate.
The teen was in his house, his family was nearby, it was dark, and the distance we short.
The teen might not have made a move with hostile intent. Doesn't matter. He made a move that could easily have been hostile. Or so the police report said, at any rate.
I'll also turn an argument back on you. It's been said by the people opposed to concealed-carry on college campuses that we can't trust those students with handguns because they're party animals, they drink and do drugs, they're irresponsible, etc.
Okay.
The teen that was killed is exactly part of the age group your side doesn't want carry on campus because they do stupid things. Well, it's pretty likely that this teen, Bo Morrison, did something stupid and got a gun pointed at him (breaking and entering, or at least entering) and then did something else stupid to make the guy scared and pull the trigger. Maybe he went for his cell phone. Maybe he convinced himself the homeowner wouldn't shoot an unarmed man. Maybe he thought he could lunge past the guy and break free. Maybe he had weed or special-k or ecstasy or coke or some other drug on him and didn't want to get the cops involved.
I don't know his motivation.
Hell, maybe you're right and the homeowner simply decided to shoot the frozen, unmoving, scared-stiff teen because the guy had a Rambo complex and a tiny penis.
I don't know.
I do know that, unlike Zimmerman, the homeowner waited and hid his Rambo fantasies and penile-inadequacy rage until circumstances delivered him conditions for a justifiable homicide.
But at the same time, we can also say that about all cops that get to shoot somebody, can't we?