Dead burglar's family awarded $300k in damages

[MPH]

I'm not saying he's a nominee for parent of the year, but there's a big difference between being a messed-up individual and deserving to die for it. Maybe that kid needs to be in foster care until her father gets clean. On the other hand, I bet that little girl is as sad as your kid would be if you were killed.

I wasn't making a serious legal argument, and I certainly wasn't saying that he "deserved to die". I was pointing out that long term the girl is probably better off. If you think the majority of people who are so hooked on meth that they're out burgling car dealerships to fund their next fix have any chance of being a fit parent to a three year old girl, then you're the one who's smoking meth.

 

[Jim123]

If you think the majority of people who are so hooked on meth that they're out burgling car dealerships to fund their next fix

Usually it seems they're out stealing copper to sell for scrap. Stealing cars, well that takes a meth head with some planning ability. This guy was probably in the 90th percentile of tweakers...

 

[red_ryder]

Call me a dove, but I'm not sure trying to scale a fence warranted icing the guy. Maybe, if they had been actually in the process of stealing the car, maybe, if they refused to stand down while inside the dealership or fired back with their (knives, this time), or mayyyybe, but doubtful, if they had been fleeing with actual property, but just trying to climb in and then running away?

Those cars were almost certainly insured, and I don't like the idea of shooting a man in the back.

 

[John Ritenour]

Lotsa luck legislating morality.

IMHO all laws legislate morality, to some degree or another. While this argument is most often heard concerning the issue of abortion, I believe it applies to other activities as well. By not allowing an individual to protect their property, you are saying that theft is an acceptable practice. I don’t subscribe to the practice of “blowing away” people just because they are stealing but if you break into someone’s home or place of business, you get what you deserve. I live in Florida, and we have expanded the concept of “Castle Doctrine” to include attacks upon your personage that occur anywhere. In other words, if you have a legal right to be somewhere, you do not have a duty to retreat if attacked. Provided you are in an area where it is legal to carry a concealed firearm, you can respond to an attack upon your person with deadly force. This came about because of liberal numbskull District Attorney’s (DA’s) in the Southern part of our state who prosecuted several individuals who defended themselves against carjacking by shooting their attacker(s). As a result of their (the DA’s) prosecutorial misconduct, the State Legislature amended the law to allow individuals to protect themselves.

 

[squorch2]

Sweet blog post you got there.