Marine held in shooting (Massachusetts)

The Boston Globe ^ | 15 Aug 05 | Adam Jadhav

[Drew68]

Daniel B. Cotnoir, a decorated Marine and military mortician, cracked under post-war stress early Saturday, responding with shotgun fire when someone threw a bottle through a window in his Lawrence home, his attorney said yesterday.

Alerts Cotnoir had already complained to police about a crowd of almost 30 people in the street outside a nearby nightclub and restaurant about 2:45 a.m. Saturday. When someone threw a bottle that shattered his bedroom window, Cotnoir fired ''a warning shot" that hit a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, said his lawyer, Robert F. Kelley.

''He shot into what he thought was a safe area, but there was some ricochet effects that Mr. Cotnoir never intended," Kelley said. ''It was a military-type response to a threatening situation that was civilian in nature."

(snip)

About 30 people had gathered in the street and parking lot listening to music from their cars, many having just left the nightclub Punto Final, Cumba said.

Some people in the crowd were playfully joshing Cotnoir as he watched from a window above his family's funeral home, Cumba said.

''People were saying hi to him, 'hey, how are you?' Somebody threw something at him," she said.

(snip)

The other alleged victim, identified by the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune as Kelvin Castro of Lowell, could not be reached for comment.

(snip)

Cotnoir was awarded the 2005 Marine of the Year by the Marine Corps Times for his work retrieving remains and belongings of fallen soldiers, more than half of whom were killed in explosions.

(snip)

But Cumba said Cotnoir's past means little.

''I don't think he deserves any of those awards," she said yesterday, reached at home by telephone after her release from the hospital. ''I think he deserves to get locked up. I could have been dead right now."

[Drew68]

Excerpted

cracked under post-war stress early Saturday, responding with shotgun fire when someone threw a bottle through a window in his Lawrence home, his attorney said yesterday.

Um, I don't think he cracked under post war stress as much as he retaliated when thugs threw dangerous objects through his window. At any rate, this is Massachusetts so I expect he'll be made an example from.

Incidentally, I did a keyword search under "marine" and din't see this posted despite the fact it has appeared in several news outlets today.

Sergeant Daniel B. Cotnoir

[the invisib1e hand]

wait a minute. who's the guy in the blue jacket standing to the marine's right?

[the invisib1e hand]

wait a minute. who's the guy in the blue jacket standing to the marine's right?

[PAMadMax]

1.) Hit a 15-year old and a 20-year old? What the h**l were they doing out in front of a night club at 2:45am? Why di this group of human deitrius throw a bottle through his window?

[r9etb]

''People were saying hi to him, 'hey, how are you?' Somebody threw something at him," she said.

It's a little known fact that bottle throwing is the traditional way Bostonians say, "hey, how are you?"

[Drew68]

wait a minute. who's the guy in the blue jacket standing to the marine's right?

Could be a certain Senator from the state this Marine happens to be from. Doesn't necessarily imply endorsement.

Looks like a forced smile anyways.

[rhombus]

Hit a 15-year old and a 20-year old? What the h**l were they doing out in front of a night club at 2:45am? Why di this group of human deitrius throw a bottle through his window?

Visit Lawrence, Massachusetts just once and you will understand. They call it Kennedy Country.

[ElectricStrawberry]

Indiscriminantly firing a shotgun at a group of people (one of whom may have thrown something through your window) is not "self defense" under any legal definition of the word...and if it is in your state...lemme know which state you're in, so I can never go there....never hang outside a bar in a group of people.

[Drew68]

Why did this group of human deitrius throw a bottle through his window?

C'mon now, it was a "friendly," "joshing" bottle toss!

[Egon]

Yep. "Playfully joshing" followed by throwing a bottle through his window. Nope, no media bias here.

[RexBeach]

Lawrence, MA is an s-hole and has been for years. It is full of very strange people and, as the old saying goes: "It's a great place to be from."

I think the marine should have lowered his aim.

[the invisib1e hand]

so,why are we shying away from posting the whole picture? I'd do it but I can't grab it from this terminal for some reason.

[TigersEye]

It sounds like a perfectly appropriate response to a violent attack to me. What I don't understand is how a Marine, a veteran of combat no less, missed his target.

[Brad from Tennessee]

War-related stress or not, where I live this guy's reaction would be considered justified. If somebody will start a legal defense fund for this jarhead, I'll be honored to contribute.

[Drew68]

so,why are we shying away from posting the whole picture?

I didn't crop the photo. There were others that showed him next to Kerry but I felt that they would have distracted from the story so I selected a photo of him by himself.

The photo of him alone in his dress uniform on the Globe page was too small.

[TigersEye]

I'm in CO. "Make my day" and all y'know. If you like to throw bottles stay out.

[Drew68]

What I don't understand is how a Marine, a veteran of combat no less, missed his target.

He tried to fire a "warning shot" with a shotgun away from the crowd. Some pellets ricocheted into the crowd.

[veeceeque]

Devil Dogs are most dangerous when provoked.

Remember this and all will be well.

SGT C.

[TigersEye]

That's just it, how could a Marine fire a "warning shot?" Warning shots are for TV cowboys. If it's time to fire a gun it's time to kill someone.

[billnaz]

The headline should have read "Individual Finally Has Enough of Noise From Punks Outside Window and Takes Appropriate Action After Being Threatened."

Another good reason not to live in Kennedy/Kerry Land.