110% agree. No life is worth a kid throwing eggs at a car. It's a dumb prank, not a capital offense. There simply is no justification for shooting a kid that poses no threat to you. None.

If I were shot every time a was throwing eggs, snowballs, mud, what ever, I would look like big eye swiss cheese. Now when I get hit I just think..."Payback is heck". lol I do chase the little poops to give them a thrill, but pull out my gun? Never in a million years. Never would cross my mind, cause there is no threat of deadly force.

 

One can agree or disagree with the Texas deadly force law, but it is the law.

The significance of this is directly related to a situation that happened in our subdivision a few years ago. Some kids were going into homeowners' yards and vandalizing (and, in some cases, stealing) their Christmas decorations. After a week or so, these kids were caught in the act by one of our Deputy Constables who patrol our neighborhood.

This Deputy Constable told the kids, "You don't know how lucky you are. Do you realize that any of these homeowners could have caught you vandalizing his property in his front yard and blown you away - legally??"

Whether I would do it is one thing - whether any of my neighbors down the street would do it is something else (and unknown!!) To me, the message here in Texas is - given the law in this state, don't do it!

Rusty

 

Great honest post! It’s not my fault or yours, or society’s, or anyone else for the criminal activity this knucklehead is committing!

However, I think killing the punk was too much. But he is the reason all this happened to him. The mom says he was a good kid and never got into any trouble...sure, whatever. All mothers say their “little Jonnys” are angels.

Even the 14-year-old’s grandmother questioned his future. Here’s what she said: “We had hoped that he would graduate from high school, possibly go to college," said his grandmother, Gayle Shiner, 65, of Fork Union, Va.. "We hoped he would date and marry and have children, and of course all of that was ended because of somebody's stupidity." She HOPED he would graduate. I wonder if she knew he was on the road to crime!

Let’s not forget the shooter. He’s also a victim. Not only did his vehicle get damaged, but now he has to live with what he did for the rest of his life. And I guess he’s still in hiding? Sucks to be him.

 

All points well taken - it's a shame that the kid was shot and killed but regardless don’t be fooled by the age. The two punks that attacked my wife in a Walmart parking lot were 18 and 15 years old. By the way, the 15 year old was the one that gave her 8 staples in her head when he cracked her with a board. The punks that destroyed my barn and ATV's were 17, 16 and 14. And, just last week the punk who shot it out with the city police when he was stopped driving a stolen car was 15 years old.

Like I and everyone else who has posted to this thread has stated it's a shame that the kid was shot and killed but bottom line - DON'T be fooled by the age. At least here in central Florida I am certain if you were to ask any police officer he would tell you that they deal with 13 year olds no different than an 18 year olds when it comes to apprehension and arresting and that a 13 year old is just as capable of committing a serious crime as the 18 year old.

I have 3 kids, two of which are boys. I have had the police stop by my house a few times over pranks they had pulled. The difference is that for the first visit it was okay “you didn’t know you could get in trouble for doing what you did”. Second visit we were headed to the police precinct, fire house or the field house to do a little community service (father son bonding). Third visit by a deputy and they completely understood with no doubt they were spending a night in a holding cell which fortunately it never came to. Kids will be kids and having been a football coach I have dealt with a lot of young men and their pranks. But, regardless of what their upbringing is, they know right from wrong. It’s their ability to make the right choices that is so skewed by their upbringing and parental influence.

Would I shoot a kid for egging my truck - NO. Would I chase him down, scare the day lights out of him and hold him, at gunpoint if necessary until the police arrived – NO QUESTION I would.

 

That would be “False imprisonment” for holding a juvenile at gunpoint for throwing eggs at your truck. The police may not arrest you for doing it, but the DA’s office has the final say. Then the little punk and his welfare parents will end up suing you for “violating his civil rights”.

As law-abiding citizens, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

In Texas if someone threw an egg and hit your truck and blew him away your butt would be in front of a grand jury quicker than you can spit. Your lawyer fees would wipe you out and I wouldn't be surprised if they threw a true bill on you. You may beat the rap but you won't beat the ride. Do you really think it is worth it to ruin your life over something so trivial.

bearwhiz

 

My last comment was made before I read the story. Even in Texas this is out and out murder. The damage was done, the suspect is fleeing the scene and is posing no danger to you. Your right to shoot has expired. I hope they catch the guy and nail his edit.

bearwhiz

 

Interesting thread. It is clear as day that opposite opinions are present, and the politically correct side proudyl proclaims, "nothing material that I own is worth taking other's life for".
Ok, let's see. You are in your bed. Your door is kicked in, and two people bustle into your house. They have an axe, but all they are doing is taking your VCR and some jewelry, and they inform you that they are not going to kill you. They are young, and you let them go. Right? I'm not sure.
Ok, let's see again. You make $18k a year, buy beer once a quarter, never order a pizza. You walk out into your driveway and see a 16 yr old kid slicing the second tire on your jeep. Each one cost $200 to replace, and you have $16 in your checking account. The kid is clearly innocent of any vicious crime. You remember that no material item is worth bodily harm and let him go. Right? Hmm.
See, I think this society became strange in one way. Before, there were citizens and if they caught a criminal or had a dispute, they went to a judge who decided what is Right or Wrong, and what is Just and Fair. If you brought a punk who egged your carriage, he'd get spanked and his parents ashamed. Today, a bunch of well-paid people decide not that. They page through volumes of "codes", and it does not matter what is Just. What matters is, what's on the darn paper! The same punk taken to court today is probably an ethnic minority and would get into papers, you get sued and his parents get rich off of your hard work!
It is tougher to make a judgement call than I can imagine. You are excited and disgusted, you are passionate. They broke into your house, shoot them! They could be up to no good. They are slicing your tires! Shoot?.. well... probably not. Try to apprehend them, but they will run! How would you decide? You can not even afford to replace the tires! You are stuck, what are you going to drive to work tomorrow?
And, indeed, none of us here has been in a bar fight over much less than an egged truck, and none of those fights ended up with knife wounds!
I only wish I never have to make a decision like this (not over an egg but over a bigger thing).
-P

 

i dont know about my truck but i got egged walking down the strret in portland.. i ran after them. they got stuck at a light.. i just kicked thier car till the light turned green.. lukily i had 2 bigger friends wondering why my large white bum. did a jesse owens and wanted to tear the door of the honda! my back just to the left of my spine hurt for almost a week with a 4 inch welt/bruise!

so i would have to say.. i would probably run them over with my truck! if anything even happened to it

 

yep. but ther`s plenny of holes in the desert! and i know more than a few

 

I don't know anyone who, when a teenager, had all the respect in the world for everyone other than your self. I could be wrong, but I'll admit I was once an arrogant teen, who found it fun to **** off anyone who had something better than what I could have. Here's how I think of it now. I respect other peoples stuff more than my own. I have pride in my things, but if I'm willing to drive my truck over rocks and gravel, through a mud hole, and down Interstate 205 in the heart of commuting California, I think some eggs are not enough to whip out a weapon of any sort and harm the person who is in the shoes I wore 10 years ago.

 

I think killing the little SOB might have been a little over the top, but I'd be all for breaking a leg or something.

 

Most of you, if not al lIMO all could agree, that young teenagers wants to be treated as a adult with all the benefits but none with the responsibility of a adult.

Do I agree to shoot a child or anyone for egging my truck? Certainly not. Does that person deserve a strong beating? That is the question. Some do deserve a second chance, some do not.

I just had my wife's sub box stolen out of her car this week at my local Wally World. I would love to catch them in the act, and maybe given them a strong beating until the police arrive. Tis the season for the theives.

 

The days of the wild west (even in Texas...) are over. Some may not see all aspects of "progress" as that. Laws are made to "protect society" - but the application of some of those laws in real-world situations can be tough.

I was in law enforcement and carried a weapon for ten years. We were very clear about what the statute in our state said about the use of "deadly force". we were also clear that it was vague and subject to interpretation, especially by a jury. We governed ourselves accordingly.

Problem ownership (along with honesty, integrity...) seem to be absent in a lot of society today. Take no responsibility for anything and then lawyer-up at the first opportunity.

Today a lot of kids aren't raised with the direction and fiber that many of us were. We turned out the way we did, most of us anyway, due to our upbringing and our influences. Kids today are no different. You may disagree with "spare the rod, spoil the child" - but there are a whole bunch of aimless, misguided, unsocialized "kids" who have the capacity to create a lot of havoc running around - that is plain fact.

But also, as responsible adults, we need to temper our responses. The "law" may enable a certain response, but that may not mean it is always "right". It is unfair and angering to have one's property defaced, but it is just that, property. You can replace it, yeah...even though you shouldn't have to. The "threat" of bodily injury or death may deter some kid, but prisons don't seem to deter many criminals, nor does the death penalty. Ever hear ANYONE say, heck, I was goin' to shoot that fella', but then I was afraid they'd put me to death in thrity years ? Guess not.

I carry a weapon to this day under permit. I know how and WHEN to use it. But even when law officers use their weapons, there is a review, and believe me each and every nuance and circumstance will be looked at in a nice climate-controlled setting where everyone had a good nights sleep and a big breakfast....you make a split second decision, often in the heat-of-the-moment, and when everything is nice and calm and cool, others will deliberate YOUR fate. We all know people who anger easily - we all have probably said or done things when "hot" which we regret when we cool down. Haven't every one of us at some time wished we could "take it back" , whatever it was ? Well, knowing and admitting all of that, apply it to this situation. There is plenty of blame to go around, but two wrongs don't make a right, do they, or has that changed since I was a kid ?

You pull a weapon, anywhere, anytime, and discharge it at another person, you had better be well justified, not only under law, but also in the court of public opinion. Oh...and in your own mind, too. It is a very serious and usually irreversible decision...unlike the eggs that you can wash off your truck (or better still, if the kids are caught, have them wash the eggs off and then wash your truck once each week for six months....that will make them LEARN something, not just show them that you can be the bigger bully).

 

Bonshawman great post and right on target.