[Former Military Chick]

Here is the thing, he has the right to shoot a warning shot, as long as his weapon was registered. I frankly would have called the authorities to ensure that nothing unfortunate to happen.

If in fact someone was injured by his actions, that concerns me.

Further, to even suggest it is post war syndrome has me curious.

Perhaps I need to be more understanding. Your thoughts?

[Drew68]

See also Marine held in shooting (Massachusetts)

Personally, it appears that he reacted to a threat after a bottle was thrown through his window. PTSD? I ain't buying it.

[Drew68]

See also Marine held in shooting (Massachusetts)

Personally, it appears that he reacted to a threat after a bottle was thrown through his window. PTSD? I ain't buying it.

[Texas_Jarhead]

"Cotnoir was charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder..."

Get outta town

[Former Military Chick]

US Marine pleads not guilty in nightclub shooting

US Marine pleads not guilty in nightclub shooting

15 Aug 2005 21:00:56 GMT

Source: Reuters

(Updates throughout after court hearing)

BOSTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who was named "Marine of the Year" last month for his service in Iraq pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempted murder after he opened fire on a crowd outside a Massachusetts nightclub, wounding two people.

Daniel Cotnoir, who has been treated for post-war stress since serving in Iraq where he worked as a mortician preparing bodies of U.S. soldiers for burial, was accused by police of firing a shotgun from a window of his apartment in Lawrence into a group of revelers early Saturday after having complained to police about the noise.

Two people were injured in the incident.

At a Monday court hearing Cotnoir pleaded not guilty to two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of illegally discharging a firearm, his lawyer, Robert Kelley, said.

He is being held without bail for 20 days at Bridgewater State Hospital where he will undergo psychiatric tests to see if he is fit to stand trial, Kelley said.

Cotnoir felt threatened by the crowd after a bottle thrown from below crashed through his closed window and cut him in the finger, Kelley said.

To protect himself, his wife and children, Cotnoir fired a warning shot into what he thought was a safe area but the bullet ricocheted off cement and fragments hit two people, Kelley said.

The veteran was recently voted Marine of the Year 2005 by the Marine Corps Times for being an "'everyday hero' who exemplifies outstanding professionalism, concern for other service members and community service."

In an interview with a local newspaper, Cotnoir described collecting bloodied body parts of dead soldiers after blasts in Iraq and said he had sought counseling at a veterans hospital after returning home because his war-time job took a heavy psychological toll on him.

[ApplegateRanch]

If the pellets indeed richochetted into the "victims" then there was no intent to "murder" the rioting scum who threw a bottle into his second story aprtment window.

Actually though, the ones who need to prosecuted are the damned enablers who allow this kind of crap to go in the streets, and then make excuses for it, while prosecuting anyone who objects.

[Former Military Chick]

I believe everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt it is our system.

But, if the facts are as they have been written, he used bad judgement. It is just my humble opinion.

A young girl was injured. Not severely and he was lucky it was not severe.

But, to already have the "Iraq Syndrome" entering the mix, it seems he might know what he did had consequences that now he is blaming his service in Iraq. That would be low. Again, imho.

[Drew68]

``Something might have happened when he came back from Iraq.

What happened was that he returned from Iraq to a neighborhood where thugs hang out late into the evening playing music and generally menacing the residents. When he confronted them about it a bottle came flying through his window and he reacted. He fired a warning shot and shotgun pellets ricocheted grazing two bystanders.

His attorneys are playing the "PTSD" angle because that's the only way they'll be able to save him from a lengthy prison sentence in the wonderful state of Massachusetts.

I would bet money this is exactly how it happened.

[DJ Taylor]

With no more information than was made available here, I would guess that this was more of an anger management issue than PTSD. However, being that this incident occurred in the People's Republic/Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he'll probably get more sympathy from the courts as a war damaged veteran than he would ever get as a pi$$ed off Marine. So I expect his attorney to advise him to go the PTSD route.

[mylife]

"Also on Monday, an Iraq war veteran appeared in court in Las Vegas to face charges of using an assault rifle to kill a woman and wound a man in an alley." "Sepi told police he pulled an assault rifle from beneath his coat and reacted when he was ambushed in the alley."

WTF? a coat in mid aug in AZ? With a rifle hidden in it?

[Former Military Chick]

The attempted murder may be excessive but I like many other's had to deal with the court system, sometimes they over charge, do not agree with it but they hate to boost up the charge, it is easier to downgrade the charge. But, his actions were reckless. He chose not to call the cops, and chose to fire where he thought/assumed it would be safe.

If one is going to use their weapon, than one has to accept the consequences. It appears that he chose to shoot a gun, that should not have been shot, one of the counts against him.

Frankly just got done arguing with beloved on this, No Longer Free State. I am in the minority in my house as well.

Have to tell you, if I chose to shoot my firearm in college, goodness gracious you would not be reading my online thoughts.

He is damn lucky the injured weren't severe.

If he had been followed for PTSD, it seems he might have put his weapon in an area that was not easy to get to, PTSD can make a person depressed or worse.

But, hey, the slippery slope, if you are angered, make a stupid choice, shoot than blame your service in Iraq.

Gosh, do I feel alone in this thought.

FMC

[rmlew]

There was clearly no intent to kill or even to cause harm. The guirl was hit only by indirect fire.
However, his actions were reckless and are assault.

[edweena]

Article:
"To protect himself, his wife and children, Cotnoir fired a warning shot into what he thought was a safe area but the bullet ricocheted off cement and fragments hit two people, Kelley said."

It's always seemed to me (although I have little experience with guns) that one of the main mistakes made in scenes of gunfights in movies and on TV is that they ignore the ricochet phenomenon. They show people shooting automatic weapons at each other in a parking garage, and not only does the hero dodge every bullet, innocent bystanders never get hit with a ricochet. I'd think the last person to forget about the reality of shooting a gun would be a Marine.

I can't really understand this being accidental unless he really did lose his reason temporarily. On the other hand, if he really flashed back to battle, I'd expect a lot of those club goers to be dead now. It's a puzzling story.

[mabelkitty]

he feared for the safety of his family after someone threw an empty juice bottle through his bedroom window.

Innocent.

Next?

[Yasotay]

The Marine of the year is unfortunately in Mass not Texas. An interesting sidenote, when the Cubans would starting rioting in their camps, I knew several MPs who would go into those Cuban "refuge" camps firing birdshot at the pavement to hit the Cubans in the lower legs (interesting version of riot control) that worked very well. If the Marine was using birdshot I would think it would be tough for a jury, even in Mass., to convict a crime "with intent to murder". I remember our next door neighbor who was a farmer with a shotgun shooting at us kids with rocksalt ..... now if the marine was at close range with No 4 buckshot then maybe .... BTW the farmer never hit me.

[Modernman]

Here is the thing, he has the right to shoot a warning shot, as long as his weapon was registered.

Into a crowd of passersby? Not at all. Generally, you have a right to defend yourself from an imminent deadly threat. However, it is hard to see how that would apply to a situation where a crowd of people were under your window and you decided to fire near that crowd.

Probably not attempted murder, though. He'll plead down to something like endangerment.