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Video shows woman shoot at burglars in home invasion

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Hazmat

Member
Forgive me if I've missed this detail, but what's up with this house? Security cameras inside and stacks of consumer goods in the living spaces, plus a resident ready to throw down apparently somewhat competently with lethal force?
 

E92 M3

Member
The women did the world a favor by stopping these men before more people got hurt. Absolutely ZERO sympathy for the dead guy.
 

Zoe

Member
Forgive me if I've missed this detail, but what's up with this house? Security cameras inside and stacks of consumer goods in the living spaces, plus a resident ready to throw down apparently somewhat competently with lethal force?

They probably store stuff for the restaurant there.
 

dave is ok

aztek is ok
Forgive me if I've missed this detail, but what's up with this house? Security cameras inside and stacks of consumer goods in the living spaces, plus a resident ready to throw down apparently somewhat competently with lethal force?
It looks like a garage

The cameras are part of the the security system and what probably alerted her to the fact that three men were attempting to break in.
 
What should she have done?

Maybe not shoot someone as soon as she opened the door to them? Why even open the door to a knock in the middle of the night if you are that paranoid.

Unless you are talking about the story in the OP then yeah...I have nothing on that one. But the story from the person you quoted is insane...
 

Sendero

Member
Do you honestly believe that if you always comply, robbers will say "tyvm," take the goods, and walk off? That is incredibly naive... You don't know what is going to happen when someone tries to rob you, and I think most people would rather not take the chance of finding out if they have a way to defend themselves.
I'd rather not gamble my fate and that of my family on the charity of someone who would invade a home in the first place.
Look, each scenario is different, so don't think it's worthwhile to discuss all possibilities. Sure sometimes shooting might be the best option.

All I'm saying is:

1) Some people are too eager to use their weapons at the first provocation, and doing so, may actually makes things worse. A lot worse.

2) This is in clear contradiction with some posters here, but I personally would feel horrible if I had killed someone, if I didn't have the certainty that the person had the intention to hurt my family or me. And if you notice in the video, even though the 3 of them seem to carry guns, none of them shoot back. So, either those were fake or they never had the intention to hurt anyone to begin with.

Sure, in the heat of the moment, you don't know. You have to take the best guess, and act accordingly. I just personally have never considered "shooting first" as my top priority. And thankfully, have no deaths to lament so far.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Happy the woman was able to protect herself.

Hopefully this isn't turned to an argument against gun control by the ignorant masses.
 
Robbers get fucked. But also, that guy up front had a perfect chance to shoot her first but he didn't. Thank god he didn't (she's pretty lucky, although he'd eventually go to jail due to this footage). Cameras rock.
 

Amory

Member
Look, each scenario is different, so don't think it's worthwhile to discuss all possibilities. Sure sometimes shooting might be the best option.

All I'm saying is:

1) Some people are too eager to use their weapons at the first provocation, and doing so, may actually makes things worse. A lot worse.

2) This clearly in contradiction with some posters here, but I personally would feel horrible if I had killed someone, if I didn't have the certainty that the person had the intention to hurt my family or me. And if you notice in the video, even though the 3 of them seem to carry guns, none of them shoot back. So, either those were fake or they never had the intention to hurt anyone to begin with.

Sure, in the heat of the moment, you don't know. You have to take the best guess, and act accordingly. I just personally have never considered "shooting first" as my top priority. And thankfully, have no deaths to lament so far.

You've also never been in the situation where three armed men just kicked your door in, so you actually have no idea what you'd do and you're talking out of your ass.
 

2real4tv

Member
Was speaking with my bother in law when I went down to Alabama for a family reunion he stated home invasions is happening a lot in GA with robbers toting AK-47's.
 
You've also never been in the situation where three armed men just kicked your door in, so you actually have no idea what you'd do and you're talking out of your ass.

Yeah, taking the moral high ground with relation to a situation that they have never experienced is par for the course in this type of thread.

I am certainly not prepared to be a victim, you break in with guns then consider yourself fair game.

Fair play lady, good job.
 

TomServo

Junior Member
Was speaking with my bother in law when I went down to Alabama for a family reunion he stated home invasions is happening a lot in GA with robbers toting AK-47's.

Honestly, with that kind of firepower I'd expect that those home invasions are drug related, as in someone knew the home was full of cash / drugs or a deal went south.

Looks like only one round hit anyone.

Adrenaline, and the fact that firing a gun in a dark, relatively confined space is going to be ear-splitting and incredibly disorienting.
 

AirBrian

Member
You've also never been in the situation where three armed men just kicked your door in, so you actually have no idea what you'd do and you're talking out of your ass.

"Excuse me, sirs. Before I decide what method to use to defend myself, what is your intention with your guns after breaking down my door? Thank you."
 

Sendero

Member
You've also never been in the situation where three armed men just kicked your door in, so you actually have no idea what you'd do and you're talking out of your ass.
As an expert on myself, I appreciate when others don't make assumptions about my life.

If you feel particularly interested, we can talk via PM. Or you could just read between lines on the comments I put in this thread. Ultimately, is irrelevant because -again-, each scenario is different. You simply can't apply the same logic to all of them.
 

Drensch

Member
This was not a burglary. This was a robbery. Burglary is entering a property to take stuff. Robbery is the theft of property by force or implication of force. Most burglaries occur during the day when people are not home, burglars generally don't have weapons. They want in and out with the goods and want to encounter no one.
This was a home invasion, they came prepared to do violence, and there was no stealth.
Fuck em.

"7% of all household burglaries results in some form of a violent victimization."

Not a burglary, a home invasion. 100% of home invasions result in violent victimization, by definition.
 

dave is ok

aztek is ok
This is in clear contradiction with some posters here, but I personally would feel horrible if I had killed someone, if I didn't have the certainty that the person had the intention to hurt my family or me. And if you notice in the video, even though the 3 of them seem to carry guns, none of them shoot back. So, either those were fake or they never had the intention to hurt anyone to begin with.
One of them is literally pointing a gun at her face before she fires her first shot.

She did the right thing and I'm sure she knows it.
 
There is nothing "brave" in shooting people when armed.

In an hypothetical scenario, she saved herself from being killed or worse. So good for her.


On the other hand, she traded getting robbed (of money/mundane things), for the life of another human being.
And potentially getting herself killed or worse (by escalating the situation) in the process.
And potentially killing another bystander when she blindly shoot in the street.

So yeah.

You have a split second to decide to submit to something like that or fight for your life.

She chose to fight. She chose to survive. And I do not blame her in the slightest.

Not gonna shit on her for a hypothetical neighbor getting shot when that didn't happen.

Don't feel any sympathy for the lunatic that got killed. Hope the other two get locked up for life.
 

Keasar

Member
Would have been better if they (the criminals) had no guns at all no?

All I'll say on the issue is, I think it sucks one of them died, I prefer incarceration and reformation.

OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why in the world is it legal to soot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?


I'll agree with this. They were already running. Her standing in the door unloading the rest of the bullets after they took off after 2 shots were complete overkill. I get that adrenalin is running high, but at that point she was just out for blood.
 

SilentRob

Member
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?
 
Are some of you really trying to turn it onto the woman? She not only could of been robbed, but raped and killed. She did nothing wrong in defending herself. "She should be punished." Please.

She should not have shot into the streets at the very least, that shit is dangerous. Punishment no, but education yes.
 

Lyn

Banned
2) This is in clear contradiction with some posters here, but I personally would feel horrible if I had killed someone, if I didn't have the certainty that the person had the intention to hurt my family or me. And if you notice in the video, even though the 3 of them seem to carry guns, none of them shoot back. So, either those were fake or they never had the intention to hurt anyone to begin with.

Might I ask what certainty you are looking for to justify self-defense? What would be a likely scenario?

As I see it, the man was walking right at her with a gun pointed in her direction. How is she to know whether he is just being a "tough guy" or looking to harm her physically, either through harsh beatings, rape or murder? Even if he is someone only trying to act tough, I would think with all the gun topics on this forum, people are fully aware how easily a gun can be fired by accident when people are acting irresponsibly.

Waiting for that certainty you mention likely means it is already too late, as they have already caused harm in some manner for you to realize they aren't nice people. They certainly won't be discussing their actions beforehand so you can be better prepared.

OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

I don't believe it is always legal and is something that varies from state to state. However, I imagine a lot of it depends on circumstances and on a case by case basis. Shooting someone poking around on your lawn and running away probably will get you in a lot of trouble, but a woman who is high on adrenaline and fear from 3 armed men smashing into her home and pointing weapons at her will probably get some sympathy. Unless you are some sort of trained professional, anyone in such a scenario is likely going to be running on survival instincts and not entirely rational thought.
 

The Beard

Member
If she didn't have a gun, she and her roommate could've been murdered. Never underestimate pieces of shit who are willing to break down your door in the middle of the night, and come in with guns drawn.
 

TomServo

Junior Member
I'll agree with this. They were already running. Her standing in the door unloading the rest of the bullets after they took off after 2 shots were complete overkill. I get that adrenalin is running high, but at that point she was just out for blood.

You're assuming one or both of them didn't turn around and come back towards the house, even to help their injured accomplice.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?

I think it would depend on the circumstances and what state of mind you would expect the shooter to be in. It's easy to believe that in her situation, she wasn't being super rational and was afraid and making quick decisions without any deliberate thought behind them. Now if they ran out and she continued to give chase outside and then gunned them down, that's when you get into the area of taking justice into your own hands.

No way she catches charges though. They had guns, multiple intruders so there would be an expectation of confusion, she didn't give chase once they left the house, and immediately called the police.
 

Hari Seldon

Member
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?

I think the law should take into account that unless you are a war veteran or participate in shoot outs all the time, you are 100% guaranteed to act irrationally in that situation.
 
You have a split second to decide to submit to something like that or fight for your life.

She chose to fight. She chose to survive. And I do not blame her in the slightest.

Not gonna shit on her for a hypothetical neighbor getting shot when that didn't happen.

Don't feel any sympathy for the lunatic that got killed. Hope the other two get locked up for life.

Hell yes with all of what you said.

She defended herself and that's great by all means. Theres no need for these "what ifs" because what happened already happened. You come with the intent to rob, on private property they have a right to protect themselves by any means necessary.
 

Afrikan

Member
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?

That lady and this guy were just living their lives....in their homes.

as for the guy again, he didn't do any jail time I believe.

I think for myself, it depends how far someone has ran away from my home.... If they are close by, then I wouldn't take a chance... I didn't choose this. I was just living my life, in my home.... and someone tried to potentially end it
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?

You're not allowed to chase down and kill a fleeing invader in the US. People have been charged for murder for doing that here.

But if you're in your own garage with people who happen to be running away from you there is nothing wrong with shooting them. They could just turn around and shoot you at that close proximity. You are still in danger.
 

USC-fan

Banned
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?
This is USA. Not only can you shot someone while they running away. You can chase after them and kill them.

What happened: When Greyston Garcia discovered Pedro Roteta was stealing his car radio, he grabbed a knife, ran downstairs and chased Roteta down the street. After confronting Roteta, who reportedly had a closed pocketknife in his back pocket, Garcia fatally stabbed him. He said the man swung a heavy bag of car radios at his head. The incident was caught on camera. Garcia went home and fell asleep without calling 911, court records show. Garcia initially denied any involvement in the situation, but changed his story after police showed him videotape from a nearby store security camera. The officer who supervised the case asked,"How can it be stand your ground"?

The outcome: On March 20, a Miami-Dade judge cited the "stand your ground" law in dismissing the case against Garcia.
.

http://www.tampabay.com/stand-your-ground-law/cases/case_133
 

TheJLC

Member
OK, honest question:

I totally get her reaction while inside the house...but why is it legal to shoot people who are running away from you in the back? At that point you already defended yourself, your home and whatever else, you won.

Example from here in germany from last year: Five armed (turned out the guns where softairs) people broke into a rich senior's house, tied him up and tried to access his safe. They activated the alarm, panicked and the senior used the chance to grab his rifle. The five guys ran away and the senior shot one of them in the back.

He was later convicted for manslaughter since it wasn't a case of self-defense because they were already running away: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama...-an-jaehrigem-einbrecher-verurteilt-1.2710693

Aren't you just taking the law into your own hands and shoot at people who wronged you because you are angry or shocked or pumped up instead of simply trying to defend yourself at that point?

Because the laws in the US allow people to shoot intruders in their home if they believe their life is in danger. Shooting at 3 armed individuals can easily be justified. Even if they are running, they are armed and outnumber you. And as we saw with the one that passes literally right in front of her, he was running but still could have easily shot and killed her. Running away doesn't mean they no longer pose a threat.

Now if they were unarmed and running away, that's a whole different story. You would have little to no justification for self-defense. She clearly states that all three have guns and although she could not see them clearly, she defended self and property. She only fired when the one guy points a gun at her. She also stayed within her property and didn't go hunting them down, showing further that she was defending, not out there just looking for blood.
 

Zoe

Member
No way she catches charges though. They had guns, multiple intruders so there would be an expectation of confusion, she didn't give chase once they left the house, and immediately called the police.
I could be wrong, but it actually looks like she was already on the phone as this went down.
 

jax

Banned
If you are breaking into someone's property in America, you should expect to get killed. There's nothing wrong with defending yourself, even if you don't know if the robbers have guns or not.

That's just the price you pay for breaking and entering. Don't wanna get killed? Don't break into places.

Pretty obvious, actually.
 

Lyn

Banned
This is USA. Not only can you shot someone while they running away. You can chase after them and kill them.

Yeah, no. This varies greatly depending on the state you live in and the circumstances of the robbery. There is no blanket protection for all citizens in this country to run around chasing after robbers.
 

M52B28

Banned
Good job defending yourself, but her shooting reminds me of that meme "WTF am I doing." Just because people own firearms doesn't mean they are adequate with handling them.

What an absolutely terrifying shot she is.
 
The issue with the argument of citing instances like this is that a lot of the people who cite it ignore, either willfully or innocently, all of the instances where gun ownership ends poorly for an innocent person (be it the gun owner, their family or friends, or innocent strangers).

But you can't ignore instances like this either. It's not just a numbers game. If you took away this woman's gun you are basically telling her sorry you have to die. We won't let you have something to protect yourself. It makes a hell of a difference when that person is you and you won't give a damn about the numbers. Training/education is a good way to make the numbers come out better.
 

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Good for her for defending herself. I'm glad she wasn't hurt as she easily could have been. That footage is crazy, I'm not even sure I'd be as collected as she was - impressive.

Now I'm wondering how the women reacted so quickly. Basically as soon as they bombarded in she was shooting at them.

Good question - maybe she saw them outside before they busted in?
 
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