NEVER, EVER fire warning shots! They waste ammunition and could result in a jam at a critical moment.
The elderly folks in this story should have contacted the police as soon as possible after the fight. They should have advised that they were still frightened for their lives because the ruffians promised more revengeful violence upon their return. When two sides of a story can be told, it is strategically superior to be the first party to contact the authorities.
Secondly, they should have also requested immediate assistance from an ambulance because one of the attackers may have been hit during a struggle for the firearm. This would have illustrated their compassion for fellow man.
Alcohol consumption? The correct choice of beverage would have been water, soda, juice, milk, or chamomile tea to calm rattled nerves. Booze is a lousy selection. FReepmail me if you want to hear the joke about the priest, the rabbi, the automobile wreck, and the shared bottle of wine... Joe Brower, can I assume you forgot the [/sarcasm] tag on your shoot, shovel, and shut-up post? A quadruple homicide would hardly solve their problem... We agree on most matters, so I'm guessing you missed that detail.
~ Blue Jays ~
Justice?
Maybe. But in this case of self-defense the best method was to be the first on the phone to call the police.
The judge is a jerk and should be ashamed of himself, but Dr. Hosack did himself great legal harm by assuming a wounded man would simply disappear without either a complaint or a plan for revenge. Besides, he had good witnesses and physical evidence to the danger he and his family were up against and should have been the first one demanding an investigation and arrest.
Even so, this was an outrageous decision and demonstrates a biased Judge and DA looking for the wrong crime at an actual crime scene, thereby obviously convicting the innocent.
These "public servants" need to be impeached for total incompetence.
I read about 1/2 the article and just couldn't bear to read the rest. It's disgusting to know that certain judges can just get away with doing or saying practically whatever they want..regardless of the victim's circumstance. Granted, in a criminal case, the victim is just a witness. Maybe that should be CHANGED.
Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!. Then see above... : ) <<< me