Posted on 03/19/2011 8:08:27 AM PDT by marktwain
ELYRIA — An Elyria man said he shot at four males who jumped him overnight.
Police were called to the man’s Berwick Court home about 9:45 p.m. after the man’s girlfriend called to report she’d heard shots fired outside. Albert Goldsmith, 49, who has a concealed-carry permit, also contacted a dispatcher to report the shots had been him firing at attackers, according to a police report.
Officers told Goldsmith to stand outside the home with his hands in the air. Officers took the loaded weapon from Goldsmith.
Goldsmith told officers he had first observed four young black males walking around the apartment complex’s parking lot looking into cars. Goldsmith got his gun from his home and went out looking for the men. His girlfriend contacted police to report two of them were in the area of Berwick Court and Brunswick Drive and two others were hiding in a bush. The dispatcher told her to call back if the men re-entered the parking lot, the report said.
Goldsmith told officers the men attacked him, and he fired two rounds at one of the men somewhere on Brunswick Drive, the report said.
The report did not make it clear whether Goldsmith believed his shots had hit the man.
When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.
They left him unarmed in a dangerous situation?
Ya’ know this story ain’t from the AP when they described the suspects as “four black males”.
Was that really necessary?
Officers told Goldsmith to stand outside the home with his hands in the air. Officers took the loaded weapon from Goldsmith
............................................................
Did they give it back?
Have they charged Goldsmith yet?
We can’t have criminals being stopped by Citizens with handguns. If we did why would we need Police officers.
Of course the gun was loaded with two bullets fired, he told them that.
Why do I have the feeling this man will be charged before this is over??????
Four black criminals in the area, and the police made him stand there in the open with his hands in the air?
Sounds like a bunch of cowards, more concerned about their own possible safety than the citizens they are paid to protect.
Another better way to get the police to show up is to tell them the men are breaking into cars and that you heard a scream.
Exactly. He has a permit to carry. There’s no evidence he committed a crime. He fired his gun in the city limits. He admitted that. But that’s not evidence he committed a crime. A driver drove through an intersection. That’s not evidence he ran a red light. They shouldn’t treat him like a criminal.
Probably not. There was a crime committed here. Either this man fired unjustifiably, in which case he committed a crime. Or, he was assaulted and he justifiably defended himself. Either way, there's still a crime to investigate and then hopefully successfully prosecute. The firearm becomes evidence in that prosecution, either way it goes.
There's a chance that after ballistic testing is done on the weapon, it might be returned.
"Why do I have the feeling this man will be charged before this is over??????"
I have a feeling he won't. Innocent people don't get shot and then not report that shooting to authorities. My guess is the only person who called the police, was the man who was defending himself. The others probably didn't. That's consciousness of guilt.
Berhard Goetz — this will end up making this guy the criminal much like they did in the Berrnie Goetz episode on a NY Subway; probably 25 or more years ago.
The irony is that Goetz was a peacenik liberal but human nature prevailed which is survival: either you become the victim or the villain.
“His girlfriend contacted police to report two of them were in the area of Berwick Court and Brunswick Drive and two others were hiding in a bush. The dispatcher told her to call back if the men re-entered the parking lot, the report said.”
WHAT?!?!
Hiding in the bush wasn’t sufficient for sending the cops?!?!?
Is entering the parking lot a more credible threat?!?!?
Surprised the idiot dispatcher didn’t say, “Call me when you’re dead”!!!
“When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.”
Hey, that’s my (by)line! Sure is the truth.
This is a poorly written article. He did not shoot at four men. Four men did not attack him. It sounds (maybe) like two men attacked him while two men hid in some bushes. But he only fired two rounds at one of the men.
Now legally, I can imagine the police arriving on scene wanting him disarmed and with hands up. This is because while the situation *might* be what was phoned in, it might not. And if shots have been fired, they don’t want any more shots being fired, unless they are the ones doing the shooting. Finally, his gun at that point is evidence, and they don’t want him touching it anymore, and certainly not shooting it, or it could ruin evidence, both on the gun and on his hand.
At the same time, they are intensely aware that there may be four men about, who may or may not be armed, and one or more might be wounded, and they may either be wanting to flee the scene, or if armed, may still want to shoot somebody.
In any event, if you find yourself in a similar situation, remember to cut the police some slack, both because they are on a rapid learning curve about the situation, and because they are nervous.
If you do not tease or annoy them, they will likely see you as one of the good guys, so you are no longer the big issue, and they can go about their work.
Great tagline!!
There is another tagline I like by a Freeper that says:
“I carry a gun because I can’t carry a cop.”
That is a good one, but I do like the insidious nature of mine. Oh, yeah, lifetime for the post was about 3 minutes before it was pulled
That is a good one, but I do like the insidious nature of mine. Oh, yeah, lifetime for the post was about 3 minutes before it was pulled
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