Man dies in struggle with gun

The State ^ | 27 August 2002 | Anderson Independent-Mail

[aomagrat]

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A Salem body shop owner is dead from a gunshot wound after an argument and struggle with a former employee, police say.

John Michael Towe, 44, was shot Friday while he and his wife, Lisa, stopped at Jimmy Duncan's house. Duncan, a mechanic, had worked at Towe's body shop, Oconee County Sheriff's Office investigator Greg Reed said.

Towe died from a single gunshot wound.

Reed said Towe dumped items Duncan had left at his body shop from the bed of his pick truck.

Duncan saw a pistol in Towe's back pocket and told him to leave, investigators said. Duncan went into his house and returned with a gun. He fired two twice into the ground to scare the couple.

Investigators said Towe pointed his .38 caliber pistol at close range and Duncan may have grabbed the gun with one hand and Mr. Towe's hand with the other. The pistol discharged, striking Towe in the throat.

Because there was an altercation, the case is being classified as a homicide, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said.

[aomagrat]

Note: The title is as written in the article.

Man dies in struggle with gun

Never struggle with a gun.

[mc5cents]

Never struggle with a gun.

I agree. They have a mind of their own, just like SUVs.

[JennysCool]

Man Dies In Struggle With Former Employee doesn't easily work into too many agendas!

[babaloo999]

http://www.roughwheelers.com/montego/gun_cam.html

[dubyagee]

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my 15 year old son the other day...

I asked him who had the right of way at a four-way stop sign. He said the guy with the bumper sticker that says "Guns don't kill people, I do."

[Poohbah]

I asked him who had the right of way at a four-way stop sign. He said the guy with the bumper sticker that says "Guns don't kill people, I do."

You have raised one very intelligent kid!

[dead]

Tobacco stole my wallet.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Are charges pending against the gun?

[dubyagee]

LOL. Either that or a comedian.

[discostu]

My pappy and I used to go gun-wrasslin' all the time. Boy you gotta be careful, them guns they like to play possum 'til they think yer not payin' 'tention then BLAMMO they's all over you.

Hard to really tell who was being dumber in this, the guy that brought a gun to what would apparently be an "emotional" event (ie could turn into a confrontation), or the guy that noticed the gun and went inside to get his (if I think I'm going to get in a fight with somebody and I see they're packing my next step is to calm down. In the end I guess the guy that got shot was the dumber, he's the one that ignored two warning shots and decided to draw when the other guy had a clear advantage (already a drawn weapon) and was in the legal right (you cak kick people off your property) was not bright.

[Militiaman7]

He fired two twice into the ground to scare the couple.

4 shots or what?

[Khepera]

Because there was an altercation, the case is being classified as a homicide


al·ter·ca·tion Pronunciation Key (ôltr-kshn)n.
A vehement quarrel.

Please tell me when is it that someone gets shot when there is no altercation and if there is no altercation why would someone get shot?

[r9etb]

Reading between the lines here, it would appear that Mr. Duncan's employment was terminated by Mr. Towes under unfriendly circumstances; that Mr. Towes thought it necessary to return Mr. Duncan's tools to him; that Mr. Towes brought and displayed a pistol on the assumption that this would dissuade Mr. Duncan from causing difficulties.

Mr. Towe was certainly correct in assuming that Mr. Duncan would cause difficulties. To his eternal detriment, he apparently did not consider the possible ramifications of displaying his personal sidearm. Nor, for that matter, did he consider the psychological effects of dumping a Mr. Duncan's personal effects from of the back of his pickup onto the ground.

Mr. Duncan should, and probably will, be charged with manslaughter, as he's the one who started shooting.

But that doesn't change the fact that Mr. Towe could undoubtedly have handled his end of the struggle a little more intelligently.

[stlrocket]

Egad - Another Gun with a mind of it's own!

My favorite new "gun" saying: Guns don't kill people - they just make bullets go really really fast!"

IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POSKET OR ARE YOU JUST HAPPY TO SEE ME?

[Lion Den Dan]

that Mr. Towe could undoubtedly have handled his end of the struggle a little more intelligently.

No doubt that more intelligence could have been used but Towe does not seem to have been brandishing the pistol. Concealed would have been a better option for Towe but under the circumstances as presented in the post, Towe's major malfunction was not shooting to stop the guy that brought the gun out of the house. At what point do you realize you are about to die?

[r9etb]

I suspect Mr. Towe had the pistol in plain view with the (fatal) idea that it would intimidate Mr. Duncan. Mr. Duncan was clearly not intimidated, but instead decided to bring a gun to a gunfight.

[tet68]

the fact that Mr. Towe could undoubtedly have handled his end of the struggle a little more intelligently.

He won't do THAT again.

[Puppage]

That's FANTASTIC!!!!

[archy]

Please tell me when is it that someone gets shot when there is no altercation and if there is no altercation why would someone get shot?

When someone is effectively shot, there is indeed no more altercation.

-archy-/-

[blam]

"Man dies in struggle with gun "

Man dies after fight with SUV!