>> Bad work on due diligence prior to buying a house.
Horse shit.
Free men ought to be able to live where they choose, free from threats from lowlife criminals.
The soldier took it upon himself to defend the territory he freely chose. Good on him!
Neighborhood clean up. Give the guy a medal and a free box of ammo...
Ought to be, yes. Seldom happens unless you are unbelievably rich. Even then threats don't stop; they just come from similarly equipped people. I don't want to play his effort down in any way, but his work only started. The criminals ran away. Now, if they read news, they know who shot at them. Their "respect" among other gangbangers is eroding. The soldier may be deployed at any time, leaving his wife alone. The police will do nothing. A bad situation all around.
The soldier took it upon himself to defend the territory he freely chose. Good on him!
He wasn't legally allowed to go far enough. Troops aren't even allowed to go far enough on a battlefield. Criminals are coddled because they are "necessary" to maintain the need for the strong government. Free and safe citizens may start getting ideas.
So he saw a gun in criminal's hands and shot at him. Missed. What if he hit the bad guy but the other criminal picks up the gun and runs away? The prosecution would have a hatefest built out of this case, shooting "an innocent." A bad situation all around.
It's true that soldiers aren't paid millions. His options were probably limited. I personally would rather live in a small apartment than own a house if I can be robbed near it. Homes in some places just aren't worth it however you slice it.