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Police: Boy, 15, Shot By Homeowner After Knocking At Wrong House

It was wrong for the homeowner to start firing through the wall the moment glass broke. Im all for self defense, but what he did wasn't that.

agree-the thing I constantly stress over and over is you have to be sure of your target. You cannot engage in "recon by fire"
 
When I first read the OP I figured it must have happened in the middle of the night. Nope. 1:00 pm on a Saturday.

Doesn't look good. Also, shooting blindly through doors doesn't seem to have a great track record.
Exactly!

By flinging lead blindly through his door he endangered the community!

What a freakin' idiot! :doh

Where there bystanders? Did a crowd gather, watching the commotion? Were pedestrians walking down the sidewalk? Are there domiciles or businesses across the street? The homeowner was reckless by shooting blindly, and his actions deserve some sort of charge here - he could have injured or killed other innocent bystanders that Sunday afternoon!

The teens (plural) "had been drinking alcohol" and banged on the door until they broke the window.
Translation: A bunch of drunks were pounding on the door. The homeowner didn't know that they were teens, only that his house was under assault. He shot through the door and killed one of them. Now he's facing murder charges.

Remember the kid with the bb gun that looked real? Shot by cops. Just an unarmed teen who looked threatening. Cops aren't charged with murder. Why should this homeowner be charged with murder?
I suspect he was overcharged, with the DA expecting it to but plead down or reduced in court (a technique I don't agree with). However, based upon the remaining teen's testimony and/or eyewitness' testimony there may indeed have been intent expressed during the verbal exchange. We'll have to see in court.

It will be interesting to see more details on this when they come out.

MA may have different laws but I thought a charge of murder required some intent.
See my comment directly above, and keep in mind that unlike Texas not all states allow one to shoot in defense of property. MA is very liberal, and may be one of them.
 
Well, that's what you would do and I do something different.


And if they ever ban tasers...tough - 'cold dead hands' thingy.

As I have stated many times, I only follow laws I agree with or that are too much of a hassle not to follow. If I want my tasers - legal or not (one day) - I am keeping my tasers.

I agree. I think a taser is a good alternative to shooting someone when possible. Of course I would like the option of a gun if I am not sure whether the other person has a gun. Then there is the situation where we know the other person is armed. A lot of criminals are unfortunately.
 
The other side of the coin is if they were drunk, stupid and brazen enough to pound on someones door until they broke it and the homeowner finally shot them how do we know they were not intending to do harm to the person in the home. How do we know they were not trying to break the door and get in to do rob or injure the home owner. When you are drunk and doing stupid things the outcome is usually someone gets hurt or killed.

I would need to see the window pane, to what extent it was broken, and if possible, how it was broken (by knocking, or as an attempt to circumvent the door). I would also want to know if there was any previous contact between the shooter and the drunk teenagers.

If, say, he had sold them alcohol in the past, he would still retain his core right to self defense. At the same time, he has a little more explaning to do as to why he needed t kill an annoying customer.
 
And, how do you know the young man was no threat? I mean you know the three drunk you men were no threat. You know that for a fact. So, how do you know?
At the moment of the shooting with their being outside, it would seem unlikely they were a threat to an armed person inside. No?

But "unlikely" is not the same as "factually known" (as you rightly pointed-out), so this looks like another factoid we'll have to wait for court to find out.
 
I would need to see the window pane, to what extent it was broken, and if possible, how it was broken (by knocking, or as an attempt to circumvent the door). I would also want to know if there was any previous contact between the shooter and the drunk teenagers.

If, say, he had sold them alcohol in the past, he would still retain his core right to self defense. At the same time, he has a little more explaning to do as to why he needed t kill an annoying customer.
That's fair.

But he still has to account for flinging slugs blindly through a closed door and into a public space (on a Sunday afternoon, no less!).

Even if he is found to have fired in self defense, it would seem to me he's still liable for some form of public endangerment offense. Shooting blindly into the public is a very dangerous thing! Now if he shot through a bedroom door inside his house, it would still be stupid, but at least he's not tossing lead around the neighborhood!
 
That's fair.

But he still has to account for flinging slugs blindly through a closed door and into a public space (on a Sunday afternoon, no less!).

Even if he is found to have fired in self defense, it would seem to me he's still liable for some form of public endangerment offense. Shooting blindly into the public is a very dangerous thing! Now if he shot through a bedroom door inside his house, it would still be stupid, but at least he's not tossing lead around the neighborhood!
Agreed. More needs to be show yet with the information we have not this is senseless and looks like a trigger happy idiot has now murdered a neighbor kid.
 
Agreed. More needs to be show yet with the information we have not this is senseless and looks like a trigger happy idiot has now murdered a neighbor kid.

the word Murder is inappropriate but I agree, the shooting appears to have been contrary to the law and reckless homicide might well be proven in a court of law
 
Because he shot and killed a 15 year old boy who was no threat to him?

how were they not a threat? beating on the door, broke the glass in it and were still trying to enter the home after
ignoring multiple warnings to leave.

nope no threat here. justified shoot.
 
agree-the thing I constantly stress over and over is you have to be sure of your target. You cannot engage in "recon by fire"

First things I was taught as a wee lad and what were constantly reinforced all through youth and young adulthood

1. Never point the gun at something unless you intend to shoot it and,
2. Always make sure of your target and what's behind it.
 
If he was that worried about two kids pounding on the door he should have grabbed his cell phone and called the police. Then gotten himself and his family out of the house or to a defensible spot. Shooting through the door was pure idiocy.
 
agree-the thing I constantly stress over and over is you have to be sure of your target. You cannot engage in "recon by fire"

He knew who he was shooting at. the people that were beating and breaking his property.
opening the door to threaten them further could put his life in danger more so.

He told them to leave multiple times. to bad he lives in the moronic state of MA.
He was defending his property from thugs destroying it.
 
When I first read the OP I figured it must have happened in the middle of the night. Nope. 1:00 pm on a Saturday.

Doesn't look good. Also, shooting blindly through doors doesn't seem to have a great track record.
Maybe he was just using the Biden Home Defense method...
 
If he was that worried about two kids pounding on the door he should have grabbed his cell phone and called the police. Then gotten himself and his family out of the house or to a defensible spot. Shooting through the door was pure idiocy.

someone did call the police. of course the police do not have transporters and takes time to get there.
by then they had broken his window and were evidently sticking their hands through the glass probably in an attempt to
open the door.

no what was stupid is teenagers getting drunk.
 
He knew who he was shooting at. the people that were beating and breaking his property.
opening the door to threaten them further could put his life in danger more so.

He told them to leave multiple times. to bad he lives in the moronic state of MA.
He was defending his property from thugs destroying it.

Proper response

call the police


Get in a barricaded position where he was behind cover that would stop the average firearm he might encounter \\


warn the mopes he was armed and if they came in the house he would be forced to shoot

only shoot if they broke INTO the home
 
Proper response

call the police


Get in a barricaded position where he was behind cover that would stop the average firearm he might encounter \\


warn the mopes he was armed and if they came in the house he would be forced to shoot

only shoot if they broke INTO the home

THe police were called by all accounts given to report a break in.
unfortuantly police only show up after the fact.

If they didn't listen to him when he told them to leave they weren't going to listen to him when he said
he was armed. he warned them multiple times to leave and they
kept banging on the door.

From the report it said they were reaching their hands through the broken window.

had this been FL or somewhere no charges would be filed.
 
First things I was taught as a wee lad and what were constantly reinforced all through youth and young adulthood

1. Never point the gun at something unless you intend to shoot it and,
2. Always make sure of your target and what's behind it.
Actually, those were 2 & 3 when I learned it.

#1 was: "Always assume every gun is loaded" ;)

But those are the Holy Trinity of gun safety, and will go far in making the gunowner and their family & neighbors safe.

Now - as to developing the judgement as to when it's appropriate to use a firearm, well that a whole 'nuther complicated subject! And the cause of much consternation!
 
THe police were called by all accounts given to report a break in.
unfortuantly police only show up after the fact.

If they didn't listen to him when he told them to leave they weren't going to listen to him when he said
he was armed. he warned them multiple times to leave and they
kept banging on the door.

From the report it said they were reaching their hands through the broken window.

had this been FL or somewhere no charges would be filed.

I don't care what state it is in-I never ever advocate shooting through a door unless and only unless the adversary has started firing through the door. once they come into the home, you are almost always completely justified in firing on them. but until then, I don't advocate it. best practice-call the cops and make sure the operator (the calls are taped) is on the line when you shout

I AM ARMED DO NOT COME INTO MY HOME OR I WILL BE FORCED TO SHOOT. they then come into your home despite the warning, its gonna be real hard for the executor of their estate to claim that they didn't intend to kill you by continuing to enter the home
 
Actually, those were 2 & 3 when I learned it.

#1 was: "Always assume every gun is loaded" ;)

But those are the Holy Trinity of gun safety, and will go far in making the gunowner and their family & neighbors safe.

Now - as to developing the judgement as to when it's appropriate to use a firearm, well that a whole 'nuther complicated subject! And the cause of much consternation!


maybe this is the way to handle someone breaking into your home?


 
When I first read the OP I figured it must have happened in the middle of the night. Nope. 1:00 pm on a Saturday.

Doesn't look good. Also, shooting blindly through doors doesn't seem to have a great track record.

5th And Final Safety Rule: Know Your Target And What Lies Behind.
 
THe police were called by all accounts given to report a break in.
unfortuantly police only show up after the fact.

If they didn't listen to him when he told them to leave they weren't going to listen to him when he said
he was armed. he warned them multiple times to leave and they
kept banging on the door.

From the report it said they were reaching their hands through the broken window.

had this been FL or somewhere no charges would be filed.
To the bolded: "You can cite this"?
 
I don't care what state it is in-I never ever advocate shooting through a door unless and only unless the adversary has started firing through the door. once they come into the home, you are almost always completely justified in firing on them. but until then, I don't advocate it. best practice-call the cops and make sure the operator (the calls are taped) is on the line when you shout

I AM ARMED DO NOT COME INTO MY HOME OR I WILL BE FORCED TO SHOOT. they then come into your home despite the warning, its gonna be real hard for the executor of their estate to claim that they didn't intend to kill you by continuing to enter the home

here you have the right to defend your property from someone destroying it. I guess MA doesn't think it so.
I feel bad I hate to see this kind of thing, but they have fair warning that he was going to shoot if they didn't leave and
were told to go.

they refused and continued to beat on his door and destroying his property.
 
THe police were called by all accounts given to report a break in.
unfortuantly police only show up after the fact.

If they didn't listen to him when he told them to leave they weren't going to listen to him when he said
he was armed. he warned them multiple times to leave and they
kept banging on the door.

From the report it said they were reaching their hands through the broken window.

had this been FL or somewhere no charges would be filed.
I did not read where they were reaching their hands through the broken window,
I would consider that a committed break in, well beyond an accidental broken window.
 
maybe this is the way to handle someone breaking into your home?


<snip>
Well, I suppose we could make the argument "he is shooting into the *interior* of his home"! :mrgreen:
 
Well, I suppose we could make the argument "he is shooting into the *interior* of his home"! :mrgreen:

yeah by that time I suppose its ok to shoot through the door!!!
 
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