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Teens' deaths raise 'reasonable force' questions for instructors
Pioneer Press ^ | 5-3-14 | Erik Burgess

Posted on 05/04/2014 9:26:54 AM PDT by TurboZamboni

When Jere Hilland teaches you how to defend yourself, he always preaches using "reasonable force."

"In other words, if someone punches you in the nose, you can punch them in the nose," said Hilland, who has taught firearms classes in North Dakota for 10 years. "But you can't keep punching them in the nose. That's excessive force."

That's where Hilland guesses Byron Smith went wrong. Smith was found guilty Tuesday of premeditated murder after fatally shooting two teenagers who entered his home in Little Falls, Minn., on Thanksgiving Day 2012.

Smith, who admitted shooting the teens "more times than I should have," used excessive force, Hilland said, and so he was not protected by law.

(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: banglist; castle; force; mn; propertyrights; smith
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To: cripplecreek

I am reminded of the story of the Quaker gentleman farmer, who awakened in the middle of the night and heard noises of a suspicious nature from the first floor. He proceeded to investigate, carrying a double barreled shotgun.

He found a questionable person stuffing the family silver into a pillowslip in the dining room. He then stated firmly, “Friend, I would not harm thee for all the world, but you are standing where I intend to shoot!”


21 posted on 05/04/2014 10:22:57 AM PDT by null and void ( They don't think think they are above the law. They think they are the law.)
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To: Mr. K

Not if he went to get another gun to shoot the girl and saying die bi**h as he put the gun under her chin. That was premeditated. She was already down with a gun shot.


22 posted on 05/04/2014 10:32:48 AM PDT by SkyDancer (I Believe In The Law Until It Intereferes With Justice. And Pay Your Liberty Tax Citizen.)
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To: ansel12

My guess is that these teens almost certainly had a criminal record. You don’t just jump to burglary from a clean slate.

They should have used former mug shots.


23 posted on 05/04/2014 10:37:13 AM PDT by fwdude ( You cannot compromise with that which you must defeat.)
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To: TurboZamboni

The NoDak law needs to be fixed for all venues.


24 posted on 05/04/2014 10:37:20 AM PDT by SgtHooper (This is my tag!)
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To: fwdude

If you find them, then show us the photos, Trayvon had his on the internet.


25 posted on 05/04/2014 10:41:31 AM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: TurboZamboni

“Officers are taught to use common sense when faced with a potentially deadly situation, and citizens should use the same kind of good judgment, Vettel said.”

Oh now there’s some real enlightenment. Being taught and getting away with as an LEO are mile apart. The citizen should be given this much leeway as well.


26 posted on 05/04/2014 10:41:50 AM PDT by SgtHooper (This is my tag!)
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To: Free Vulcan
He confessed that he executed her, to end her suffering.

"When the female stopped moving, he dragged her by her clothes and into the workshop, too. There, he said, he noticed she was still gasping and didn’t believe she should suffer, so he gave her “a good clean finishing shot,” he said."

After finishing off both teens as they lay wounded, he waited more than 24 hours to notify anyone because he didn't want to disrupt people on "Thanksgiving".

“I saw it as a static situation,” he told police. He said he also thought for a bit that although his Thanksgiving was ruined, he didn’t have to ruin it for others by calling authorities that day.

27 posted on 05/04/2014 10:47:46 AM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: SgtHooper

Even a cop couldn’t get away with what this guy did, see post 27.


28 posted on 05/04/2014 10:48:51 AM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: Free Vulcan
609.065 JUSTIFIABLE TAKING OF LIFE. The intentional taking of the life of another is not authorized by section 609.06, except when necessary in resisting or preventing an offense which the actor reasonably believes exposes the actor or another to great bodily harm or death, or preventing the commission of a felony in the actor’s place of abode.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=609.065

I don’t think a reasonable person believes someone unarmed and dying in front of you is a threat of death or great bodily harm(why the jury did what they did) If he believed that, he probably wouldn’t come as close as he had to to deliver a ‘kill shot’ under the chin.

The Minnesota homeowner shot one in the head at point blank range after they were no longer a threat and recorded himself taunting before doing so. (Then he kept the bodies overnight before calling police.)

29 posted on 05/04/2014 10:54:44 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: fwdude

Juvenile records are typically sealed .

They were likely not even admissable as evidence, although I’m not certain in this case.


30 posted on 05/04/2014 10:56:10 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: TurboZamboni

He probably should not have shot them AT ALL, unless he could see that they were armed with firearms. Even if they had had a bat, or a knife, I think I would have told them “FREEZE!” while aiming at them.


31 posted on 05/04/2014 11:06:34 AM PDT by 2harddrive
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To: TurboZamboni

That more than anything was the clincher on Smith to me. Every state law I’ve read distinguishes between aggressor and defender, with the legal test generally being whether you are in fear of death or bodily harm.

Proximity bears heavily in that, at all times any wise armed defender would want to keep a certain distance (beyond hand-to-hand) and cover between them and the aggressor so as not to negate the advantage of having a gun. When you willfully advance uncovered to point blank range and do what Smith did, you are no longer in fear of your life. In fact you have reversed the roles and are no longer legally covered.


32 posted on 05/04/2014 11:08:32 AM PDT by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! You can vote Democrat when you're dead...)
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To: joe fonebone

Did you read what you posted?

Seriously read it?


33 posted on 05/04/2014 11:48:04 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Want to keep your doctor? Remove your Democrat Senator.)
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To: TurboZamboni

bfl


34 posted on 05/04/2014 11:50:20 AM PDT by caveat emptor (!)
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To: 2harddrive

google ‘Tueller Drill’.


35 posted on 05/04/2014 12:21:24 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: miliantnutcase

The only part of this case I don’t agree with is the concept of premeditated murder. I don’t care if he hid his car, he still has a right to hang out in his own house and the two teenagers only got shot because they broke in. Finishing them off when they were down and not immediately calling authorities was his crime. Considering the man’s history as a crime victim I consider that a crime in the heat of the moment, but not premeditation.


36 posted on 05/04/2014 12:22:55 PM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: USNBandit

Kinda where I sit on this as well.


37 posted on 05/04/2014 12:55:24 PM PDT by miliantnutcase
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To: Balding_Eagle

yeah...

what is your point?


38 posted on 05/04/2014 2:02:05 PM PDT by joe fonebone (a socialist is just a juvenile communist)
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To: 2harddrive
He probably should not have shot them AT ALL, unless he could see that they were armed with firearms. Even if they had had a bat, or a knife, I think I would have told them “FREEZE!” while aiming at them.

If someone breaks into your darkened house in the middle of the night and you take time to see if they are armed you will die. I always assume that they are intending to kill me. I will shoot them dead.

39 posted on 05/04/2014 3:08:59 PM PDT by SVTCobra03 (You can never have enough friends, horsepower or ammunition.)
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To: joe fonebone

A lot of us leave our houses looking like that, probably including you.


40 posted on 05/04/2014 6:00:04 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Want to keep your doctor? Remove your Democrat Senator.)
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