Correctional officer kills friend in case of mistaken identity

Bellevillnewsdemocrat.com ^ | Feb. 19, 2005 | DON BABWIN

[holymoly]

Darwin Award?

[Bogey78O]

I can see it go down....

*bang bang* Freeze! Police! *bang bang*

"Oh crap"

[HairOfTheDog]

Really really sad for the shooter, and the family of the dead friend. I'm sure it will rip everyone up.

I don't ~think~ I have any friends dumb enough to try a scary prank with me. Everyone I know knows I am frequently armed and ready to defend myself. What a nightmare.

[PAR35]

There is nothing in the story that would indicate that the decedant had not been involved in any of the previous car jackings.

[HairOfTheDog]

True enough, but I think it's assumed it was a prank on a friend, not a real attack.

[ApesForEvolution]

That sucks...

[KJC1]

There is nothing that indicates that he WAS involved in any of the previous car-jackings.

[OldEagle]

As reported, it doesn't pass the smell test.

[paul51]

I don't ~think~ I have any friends dumb enough to try a scary prank with me

I hope you don't have any friends dumb enough to shoot at something without knowing what they are shooting at. If you are not sure, avoid them. They could be dangerous

[Calpernia]

And a really poor judgement prank at that (1:00am!)

Maybe doing that in broad daylight...ok.

[BerniesFriend]

Holy Cr@p...did I do something wrong?????

[PAR35]

There is nothing that indicates that he WAS involved in any of the previous car-jackings.

Common location, for one. If a bunch of houses in a neighborhood are the sites of robberies in which the front door is kicked in, and someone is caught red handed kicking in a front door in that neighborhood, wouldn't you assume that he might well have been involved in at least one of the previous cases?

There is at least one hole in this story. How does the reported know that the decedant recognized the car that he flagged down? Did he say that after he was shot to death?

[Calpernia]

I think they added the part about the stats in car jackings to support the mindset of the officer that shot his friend.

[spinestein]

[...as a joke, McClendon ran up to it and started pounding on one of the windows, said Bill Cunningham, a spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff's Department, which runs the jail where the two men worked. He also began pulling on a door handle.]


Ha Ha Ha. That's a good one.

I can think of other jokes at least as funny as this.

1) pretend to rob a bank by sticking your finger in your pocket and demanding money from the teller.
2) pretend to rape a woman by dragging her into an alleyway and demanding sex. To make it even funnier, threaten to kill her if she doesn't consent.
3) pretend to be a pedophile by stopping by a group of children and asking them to go for a ride with you and offering them candy. make sure their parents are standing nearby so you can enjoy their peals of laughter when they witness your advanced sense of humor.

[Mulder]

No charges had been filed in connection with the shooting Saturday night, Smith said.

If Joe Q. Citizen had shot and killed a scumbag gang-banger trying to hijack him in the state of Illinois, he would be sitting in jail right now with felony charges.

What passes as the "justice" system in this country is a sick joke.

[HairOfTheDog]

He knew what he was shooting at. He was shooting at a carjacker banging on his wife's window. The carjacker just turned out to be a friend. It's entirely possible this is a good shooting in every way except the sad outcome.

There is a good lesson in being sure who you are shooting at in defense. I know another sad case where a father shot his teenage son crawling through a basement window after sneaking out to party at night.

But the other good lesson is don't play pranks on people that look like life-threatening attacks.

[GeronL]

You know that TV show 'scare tactics'?.. they do make sure no-one has access to a real gun right?

[HairOfTheDog]

Never seen it. There are a couple of the reality shows that I think are going to kill somebody before they're over.

[GeronL]

Its not so bad in Texas. Plus we have 10 more executions planned in the next 3 months... cool!! =o)