Young Turks: Life In Prison For Shooting A Robber

[CherylK]

Run time: 06:32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCUbv2-JUR8   Posted on YouTube: June 02, 2011 By YouTube Member: TheYoungTurks Views on YouTube: 311   Posted on DU: June 02, 2011 By DU Member: CherylK Views on DU: 1173

 
An Oklahoma City store-owner was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing an armed man attempting to rob his store. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss.

[BeliQueen]

1. Actually, the person with the gun got away.

The store owner shot the robber without the gun.

[rampart]

4. that doesn't matter

the reason i might vote to convict was emptying the gun after returning to his store.

somewhere between bad judgement and manslaughter. not murder with a life sentence.

the actual murderer was the accomplice - the 16 year old died during commission of a felony.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. He should be charged as well.

But the store owner did execute an injured, non-threat. The son of a bitch cast a shadow of doubt across every person that uses lethal force in self-defense, because that was NOT self-defense, and to this day, he tries to pass it off as such.

I agree with Ana, a life sentence is probably not justice, but the fact he is trying to couch this as self-defense warrants a stiff sentence.


Bad enough this was an execution. Worse that he won't own up to his mistake.

[Atypical Liberal]

2. Store owner shot an unconcious man.

The store owner shot one of the two armed robbers, hitting him in the head and knocking him unconscious. Then he went and got another gun, and shot the unconscious criminal until he was dead.

Clearly the store owner was in the wrong. His life was no longer in any danger.

But I have no sympathy for the guy who lost his life.

[Hubert Flottz]

3. Think of the money and fame involved in a trial like that...

Lawyers have to make money and the judges and other elected court officials need the political fame they get from "winning" another case. The prisons get their free labor, the state taxpayers pay for the upkeep of the new slave/prisoner.

It's not about justice anymore...it's about money.

[yesphan]

5. The lawyer

representing the defendant does quite well for himself. I've seen him driving
a Rolls.

[onpatrol98]

6. Believe it or not...

Weird feeling....I mean. Would it make a difference if he was in his own home versus a store? If all of this happened within a span of a few moments (tensions high, emotions flaring), who knows what went through the guy's head. To my mind, now...distant from the event, I'm thinking...okay, you've shot the kid in the head, you're safe, dude. But, if you've ever had someone hold a gun up at you...that's real anger and fear, it doesn't immediately go away...if you see one of the guys twitching, you might shoot him again...you really might, empty the gun in him.

I just don't know. I personally don't like guns, regardless. But, it seems on some basic level, stupid to send a guy to prison forvlife because he shot someone who was trying to rob him.

[AlbertCat]

7. Yee Ha! The American wild west lives!

I hope the amount in the cash register was worth all this trouble, loss of life and drama.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. It wasn't about the cash register.

It was about some shitheads pointing guns at him.
You don't get to mortgage someone elses life, contingent upon them handing something of value over to you, by threat of force. It doesn't matter why you point a gun at someone, you might want their wallet, you might want to force them to do something, you might just want to see how they look in the sight picture. It doesn't matter what your motive, you have initated a situation in which other people will act to preserve their lives, up to and including the use of deadly force.




In this case the initial victim executed an unconscious kid, lying on the ground, whatever crimes he may have committed prior notwithstanding the fact he was a non-threat at the time. Store owner ceased being a victim the moment he decided to put a few more rounds into a non-threat. The contents of the register are immaterial.