[marktwain]

Different emphasis, same facts as New York Daily News story

[DoodleDawg]

Different emphasis, same facts as New York Daily News story

And likely the same outcome. He'll die in prison.

[Vermont Lt]

In all honesty, I am glad he shot them.

But they were out of the house and no longer posing a threat. He is going to jail...or at least to trial.

[dirtboy]

Doesn’t matter how it is written or who writes it, this was a very bad shooting and in utterly no way was self defense.

[Gaffer]

A .22 is a terribly puny, underpowered cartridge for self-defense, most firearms instructors would say, but in a pinch it's better than throwing a rock. I have a 30 round Keltec PMR30 in 22WMR...

It's a tiny bullet, but there can be thirty of them - nonstop until the magazine is empty. Dead - Right - There.

[PapaNew]

"She was dead. I shot her twice, she best be dead ...

Shouldn't have said that. Could be his undoing.

[MplsSteve]

Is it just me or does it sounds like this wasn’t self-defense and that the guy pursued these people off his property and more or less executed one of them?

Don’t get me wrong. I have zero sympathy for the dead perp. But it seems as though this incident went waaay beyond self-defense.

Opinions anyone?

[SkyDancer]

So she was running away, shot in the back and fell in the alley. Then he walks up to her and as she pleads for her life he shoots her twice??!! He’ll be in prison for the rest of his sorry life.

[Safrguns]

This is why you cannot buy .22 ammo anymore...

And for sure now after this story.

They will exploit this idiot’s poor judgment against all of us.

[greene66]

Violent home invaders are basically terrorists. They deserve nothing less than death. If I were on the jury, I’d acquit the old guy in a split-second. He performed a public service. Just a shame he couldn’t have polished off the other (male) thug as well.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nope. I usually love A Happy Ending, where the Bad Guys lose, but I don’t condone this at all.

Gramps is going to be doing some time, though I’m sure by now, living where he lives, he’s taken more crap than humanly tolerable.

[dfwgator]

“I was in fear for my life”

Read it...Know it....Live it!

[Romulus]

she best be dead

Best be not.

The plea about pregnancy was probably a lie, but you have to be pretty cold to shoot anyway, in the circumstances as related.

No sympathy here for any of them.

[Rashputin]

IF he pleads senility sayng he thought they were pro-life protesters, two months in an ankle bracelet.

And disability for the rest of his life for suffering from PTSD

[trisham]

If I were his attorney, I would argue that his mental state was affected by the beating the two criminals gave this man, and subsequently his fear for his life. I'd add in any previous history of his home being broken into or of robbery, violent or otherwise. His age would be an issue as well.

One can only expect so much of a citizen who believes his life is in danger. Adrenaline is a powerful hormone.

[waxer1]

If this went down as the article states, he’s in a world of trouble. They were no longer a threat to his person. Apparently he shot her in the back which indicates to me she was running away. If she was pregnant it will be worse for him.

As soon as they ran away he should have just called the cops.

[dennisw]

In the heat of the moment an 80 year old man shot at two fleeing criminals who had injured him enough to land in the hospital. There has to be a moral allowance for such action after an injury that gets your adrenaline pumping. Especially in a vulnerable 80 year old man who could have been hurt a lot worse than this duo hurt him

My prediction is he will be out $10,000 and more to lawyers but he will not be sent to jail. He will get probation

[Jagdgewehr]

Regardless what truly happened, the smart play would've been to accentuate the appearance of being the victim of a violent crime and definitely tone down the bravado.

Anyone who blusters on about taking out a criminal using lethal force is asking for some trouble...good, bad or indifferent.

[Maceman]

Well, I think it’s pretty clear that the shooter will (and should) be tried for murder.

But the good news is that the dead woman’s accomplice will likely face felony murder charges too.

[arthurus]

In less than 8% of all gun defensive situations does an armed citizen wound his or her attacker, and in less than one in a thousand instances is the attacker killedThat statistic would improve with generally more range time.

[The Cajun]

If you don't want to get shot, don't break into an old man's house and beat the crap out of him.

Nuff said.