When I said “seriously criminal”, I meant the act that got the chase started in the first place.
If Arbery had just beaten someone up, or had just thrown a Molotov cocktail into a house...then yes, let the armed citizen chase begin.
But it seems that on that day the worst thing Arbery did was trespass, and maybe steal a hammer. Bad things, no doubt. And I guess by George law, shotgun guy could have chased Arbery down and held him at gunpoint. So I will not say at this point that shotgun gun is a criminal. But I will say that he made a foolish decision.
If some guy throws a Molotov cocktail through my window, I’m grabbing a gun and going after him. But if some guy litters on my front lawn, I’m not going to be grabbing a gun. I’ll settle with a call to 911.
Your mileage may vary.
Police don’t respond to theft calls anymore. Certainly not now in the age of CV.
They say that it takes several thousand in losses for them to come out but that is bullsh!t. There is a million dollar crime ring in Houston that steals appliances from new home construction sites. Thousands of them. Slap on the wrist. No bail bond.
I know a friend who’s business never recovered when someone broke in and stole their wiring shortly before his business was going to open.
Casing a target is common activity.
How about if he stole one of your handguns? Is that sufficiently serious enough to treat the man seriously?
Actually, the worst thing he did that day was attack a guy holding a loaded shotgun. Whether the other two were right or wrong in trying to confront him, as soon as he attacked the guy with the gun, it became a life or death matter.