R v. W. That gets us to another issue. He may actually be guilty. But do you really believe that death is the fitting punishment for stealing speakers? Does it seem right that whoever catches a criminal in the act gets to decide on the spot what punishment they deserve?

Edit to add: I didn't see your edit while I was typing my response. Seems like we are in agreement that death over a set of speakers is over the top.

Brant----I edited as you were posting.....but no I don't think death is the punishment for stealing...a good cane pole flogging or amputating the offending appendage seems more fitting.imho

Then a nice Pork roast and some Chianti.........

Can you just participate in a conversation without spouting off this kind of propaganda crap? It's getting tiring.

If I felt threatened I would defend myself. Other than that,shooting another human being is inexcusable. Have any of you ever seen a man get shot? I have. If you haven't I hope you never have to. It's easy to sit behind your computer and say shoot the thief bastards. I hate thieves as much as anyone but there is no way this was justified unless the guy's life was in jeopardy. Sounds to me like some snot nosed kid who watched one too many movies.

I think shooting at a thief should be expected when these guys steal. The mortal head shot at 70 yards with a Mosin Nagant was obviously a mistake.

Sometimes you have to speak in a language that is understood by those that are offending. You cant threaten hell to an atheist and a little bit of fear can go a long way with these creeps that think the world is their personal wal-mart. Putting them in crime college for 6 months doesn't seem to do anything.

I have a friend in NV that leaves his doors unlocked and his garage open and never gets ripped off. Why, you ask? Because there is a VERY high probability that the owners are home, well armed and WILL shoot. Slimey little thieves dont want to take that risk.

AuntyM, it isn't just this administration, but you are right, too many people thinking they can train a rattlesnake, and when it bites it is society failing at rehabilitation.

That's an obsession to COD 4 right there....
JD

Brant,

Absolutely innocent until proven guilty and right to a trial by jury are part of society's values. If the thief wanted to exercise his rights, he should have dropped to the ground when so ordered. He didn't and suffered what I consider the natural and logical consequences of his actions. The problem as I see it is that the thief made a fatal error in assuming his actions were not subject to adverse consequences, but it turns out that they were. That is how it should be. You only get a trial by jury and get to be presumed innocent until proven guilty if you are captured alive. In this case the thief was attempting to elude capture when he kept running instead of dropping to the ground when ordered. He gambled with his life and lost.

You seem to be trying to turn (like a good defense attorney) the rules of problem ownership around and make the real victim (Mr. Sheen, the car and stereo owner) into the perpetrator when any contextual analysis shows that the burglar was the perp and not a victim of any kind at all. If the burglar obeyed the law, and the normative expectations of society that you don't steal other people's stuff, then the burglar would still be alive today. There are two tragedies here. One that the thief was a dumbshit, gambled and lost, and two, that Mr. Sheen has to live the rest of his life knowing he killed another human, even if the human was behaving like a scumbag at the time, Mr. Sheen will probably feel far more remorse for the burglar's loss of life than the scumbag burglar would have ever felt for stealing Mr. Sheen's stereo speaker.

It's my contention that by prosecuting people who are defending their property or life, we are in fact undermining our social values regarding honesty and "thou shall not steal." I'm not necessarily condoning vigilanteism. Mr. Sheen is charged with using excessive force. I'd like to ask the prosecutor just how much force is acceptable? Should Mr. Sheen stand on his balcony and just watch the burglar carry his stereo speaker away? How about throwing a rock? Hell he would probably miss, but what if he got lucky and hit the burglar in the head. He'd probably still be dead, so then rock throwing at burglars is also excessive force? See how rediculous the analysis gets? Where do you draw the line? What action is the property owner legally entitled to? Any? Oh, he can call the cops - - fat lot of good that's going to do, and you and everyone else knows it. Either the owner is entitled to take some action to defend his property, or he is entitled to none, because there is no line that can be drawn between doing nothing and doing what he did, take a shot at the thief after a verbal warning to drop to the ground, that makes any sense at all.

OK you get your chance. You tell us - and the jury - what reasonable alternatives were available to Mr. Sheen other than what he did. Letting the thief get in the car with the speaker and drive off never to be seen again and filing a police report is not a reasonable alternative because all evidence points to the conclusion that only an exceedingly low percentage of burglary items are ever recovered, and that the police are wholly ineffectual at preventing burglaries or finding and convicting burglars and recovering stolen property. Burglary is profitable, and that is the simple reason why it is such a popular crime. The only way to make burglary unprofitable is to shoot and kill a high enough percentage of burglars that they can't make any money at it due to risk of death. Incarceration could be an alternative, but as this case illustrates, the damn burglar won't drop to the ground when ordered, so he receives a natural consequence of his action. And society benefits.

This is fun.

Sg

You're lieing again. Or is this just another nuance that no one comprehends but you?

A 27 pound subwoofer? Give me a break.

Sounds like two turds fighting over last place.




FREE BIG STICK

He got what he deserved!! Show up at my place trying to steal and you will get the same!! garanfukinteed!!

If a Nagant is your subwoofer defense weapon of choice................steal another guys speakers to put a firearm on layaway. Hopefully whatever you buy will reflect the discriminating tastes you obviously have by owning a speaker that weighs more than two house cats.


FREE BIG STICK

I give him 2 demerits for not getting the follow up shots on the guys in the getaway car. . . .
Steal my [censored] while I am home and see what you get, one warning shot center mass . . .

I give a warning shot too...One to the chest of the first thief warns the second I aint fukin around....

When someone decides to steal my stuff, they steal a portion of my life. It was my time that I chose to spend working for the money to buy whatever was stolen. Well, everyone only gets just so much time, so in effect, the thief chooses to steal my life. And his punishment is that I get to pay for his defense, incarceration, feeding, clothing, medical expenses, etc.

I figure that if you steal from me, YOU owe ME.....not the other way around. We are not civilized.....we're just stupid.

i think this would have been legal in texas

You're right there.

Maybe some day I will tell the story of catching some punk stealing two portable 5 gallon gas tanks out from my garage on night down on Alki...let's just say he didn't get too far...and the Cop that showed up was one cool dude. Brings a smile just thinking about it.

I would love to be the guy that says, "if someone steals from me ill kill the mo fo" but realistically I have been a victim of this same thing before, on several occasions, and I have several loaded guns around me at all times. To be honest, I have hypothetically put my self in this position several times in the past and I cannot bring myself to pull the trigger. I mean, my life is not being threatened and I have no fear for my family. If you are willing to shoot someone for stealing your speakers where do you draw the line. I have neighborhood kids running through my yard all the time pulling flowers, breaking branches off my trees and all kinds of shennanigans. My life and well being is not being threatened anymore by a speaker thief then by these hooligan kids, am I justified in shooting these kids for vandalizing my property?

Even for me you know NOTHING about me. Presumptuous self righteous Aunty M. It's all about the administration. Riight! Have you ever been subjected to random violence? I have. I have watched the legal system fail long before this administration. Don't blame Obama for it. But what would I know. I'm Vapid Angler

Yes,you call the police,that's the right answer. It's a stereo speaker! Is that worth a human life? Don't get me wrong thieves are fucked up. So is alcoholism and drug addiction which is most likely the reason why people like this guy steal. Don't tell me you have never known any addicts? Alcoholics? Why not kill them.

What do I know,I'm a smarmy bleeding heart liberal. Hell,just let Ted Nugent blast them all. Bunch of slapdicks....

Per Wa. State law this guys actions are clearly illigal. Justifiable homicide in this state is pretty clear. We are free to shoot to defend ourselves or any other person, from imminent danger, or to stop a felony.

Before pulling the trigger folks need to basically ask themselves how it would look to a jury as that is what a prosocuter will be asking themselves.

As for me you can run off with anything I own and I'll call 911, unless of course your inside my residence, with only one exception. Try and run off with my dog and I'm dropping your ass!!!! She makes for one very cute witness and I got no problem explianing my actions to a Jury!

Anyone who owns and carries guns in Wa. needs a copy of Dave Workman's pamphlet on the subject.................

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