Posted on 06/15/2018 6:01:58 AM PDT by Simon Green
Janique Walker knows the cost of a split second.
Her younger brother, 17-year-old Charles Macklin, was killed while trying to steal a Jeep from a Chicago fire lieutenant on the West Side last August. The lieutenant had left the Jeep running, and Macklin jumped behind the wheel.
The lieutenant ran in front of the Jeep and shouted, Get out, according to a police report. When Macklin began pulling away, the lieutenant drew his gun and fired through the open drivers side window, hitting the teen in the chest.
Macklins last words were, Sorry, bro, according to the police report. The teen died on the pavement. He did not have a gun on him.
The lieutenant had a concealed carry license. He was not charged and he was not disciplined by the department, according to spokesman Larry Langford.
That was investigated by us, and we found no violation of any rules, Langford said. The police didnt arrest, the states attorney found no reason to charge. There was no wrongdoing as far as the Fire Department is concerned.
Walker, 20, has organized protests, started a Facebook page and launched a hashtag on Twitter. She says she hasnt given up hope of getting justice for her brother.
She believes her brother was found guilty by one man with a gun. Walker said her brother should be alive to stand before a judge and take responsibility for his actions.
When has it ever become legal to shoot someone because theyre pulling off in your car? she asked. Even if (Macklin) did that, if he did steal the car. Youve got insurance
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
In that culture, a crime victim using a weapon is considered “cheating”.
The point is that if you are so stupid to have your item stolen, you have no recourse in physically getting it back. Crime is viewed as a socially acceptable and necessary occupation.
I have seen similar rationalizations from the local meth heads.
In front. Pulling away. The perp tried to run the lieutenant down.
Oops, I was thinking open passenger window.
This is just as bad of a bad shoot. If I have to move to my left to line up with the driver’s window, that means I was further toward the back of the car. You know the PD would say those two or three steps I took was “pursuing” somebody driving away and “posing no danger” to me.
“Even if (Macklin) did that, if he did steal the car. Youve got insurance”
I recall that last word being used to defend rioters and looters destroying businesses.
Bingo.
Probably just “borrowing” the vehicle so he could make it to choir practice on time.
The ignorance and arrogance here are breath-taking. Sure, he's got insurance. But, it won't completely cover the cost to buy a new car, so if his stolen car was paid off, now he has a car payment he didn't have before. Not to mention, his insurance payments will sky-rocket, because he filed a claim, even though it's not his fault the car was stolen. Add to that, the amount of time he's going to have to put into filing all the paperwork for the claim, looking for another car, etc. And that's even if the insurance pays off, because the thug jumped into an "unlocked" car, and some insurance policies don't pay off on that. But, hey, go with it. He isn't being harmed by your thug brother stealing the car, because "he has insurance."
Yes, he got instant justice.
Is the sister accepting donations?
Breaking into your house and kidnapping are different from someone stealing your car. This is the law, not my opinion.
Yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinkin’ too. No doubt the youngster was an aspiring rap artiste’ and turning his life around and headed to college the next fall. He had his hands up. Up on the steering wheel of the assault jeep. But, another life wasted because of gun violence. Or whitey. Or something. Here’s a novel idea. Don’t take stuff that isn’t yours.
Saved the taxpayers untold millions!!!
We are trying to recreate a dynamic and violent encounter using very few supposed facts. I say "supposed" facts, because everybody giving information in this story has an ax to grind.
I an not going to say that the justice system in Chicago is not without it's flaws, but the one verifiable fact that we have here is that the police looked into this matter and chose not to charge the shooter.
“The lieutenant ran in front of the Jeep and shouted, Get out, according to a police report.”
“According to a police report, the Jeep was parked on the right side of the street and the teen was turning left to pull away from the curb when he was shot. “Vehicle starts to move forward. (The firefighter) moves to the left and draws his concealed firearm and fires one shot through the drivers window.”
I can’t make these two statements, both “according to a police report”, match up.
Just a thought, I know it sounds crazy, but how about NOT STEALING CARS?
Just look at all the other crimes he prevented.
Until God enters the hearts in the ghetto, that culture is doomed for destruction.
“You take someone elses property at risk of losing your life”. Not the case in a lot of places.
BECAUSE the lieutenant knew that the laws of physics could not be violated (a bullet stopping an oncoming car), he moved to the SIDE and then shot through the driver's side window.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.