Grand Jury Clears Texan in the Killing of 2 Burglars

North Point,

You are boring me to tears. Let's make up a scenario that is not absolutely identical and then play what if. Let's be sure that the shooter is absolutely painted as the bad guy in our fictitious scenario, and then let's base an argument on it that no one but you can win.

The lives that were lost were criminals caught in the act. They had an extensive criminal history and still your mourn their death. They broke the law to get into this country and still you mourn for them.

What if these were small school children playing with squirt guns running around in the dark and Joe Horn came out and killed them? Blasted their brains all over the sidewalk. See, see, see... I told you this would happen!

Jeez, just stop it.

Joe Horn killed two criminals caught in the act of commiting another crime. He was within his rights in the state of Texas. He was cleared by a grand jury in Texas. Did he kill anyone? Yes. Is he a murderer? No. If he was a murderer he would be in jail. Is he a killer? Most definitely.

If you don't like it, fine. I don't care. Don't move to Texas.

Don't paste more details of the case. We have all read them over and over again. We all know what he said. We all know what he did. We all know he was cleared. We all know that you don't like it.

 

Ummm because he was doing the correct thing by waiting for the uniformed police, you also can't tell me if you listened to the 9/11 phone call there was really even enough time for him to act once the old guy went outside.

He went out, yelled something and almost immediately started firing, as he said he would do.

 

Your knee is jerking wildly - best shoot it.

This law allows the very thing I've posed, Jazz, and worse; given how pumped this man was to play out his "newfound rights" under the law, and the grand jury's decision, I very much expect to see more of the same.

You see, I work with cops, buddy. I train them in tactical applications. My wife has been held up at gunpoint by a 14 year old punk on a bike. Far too often, I've been in close quarters with assholes who would rather waste me than change gum, so, yeah, I am not a big fan of criminals, and you'd best put your piece back in its holster, and make the attempt to listen to more than the frenetically driven sweat dribbling from your nose.

No one has the right to take a life of another, when that other poses no lethal threat. From my read of this, Horn was snug in his home and decided he was going to head outdoors to kill. There is absolutely no justification for what he did, and this is what this thread is about. And if you're bored, leave.

 

Well, it appears that Joe Horn had the right to take the lives of two criminals and you don't like it. That's what this conversation is about.

 

I don't know how long the detective was there. It sounds like he stayed in the car the whole time. I would have left the patrol car upon arrival Grim. That's just me.

I think you summed it up perfect.

 

Wrong! Joe Horn had no right to take their lives, that is the point! He premeditated murder and he committed murder. It is as simple as that. As a few mentioned before, he was not in imminent danger, he did provoke the situation by stepping out of his house with a loaded gun.

 

Wrong again. This conversation is about whatever the people in this thread believe it should be about, and among those thoughts is whether this act was right or wrong. You are entitled to your opinion, and to reason it poorly, but I categorically disagree. Horn is a thug, and his trial being given a pass by the grand jury is a travesty.

 

The Grand Jury of Texas categorically disagree with the naysayers. The Grand Jury is correct and it does not matter who disagrees. The Grand Jury has spoken in favor of a law abiding Joe Horn. The thugs were killed.

 

I would be much more impressed if he had been able to hold these men until the police got there.

Legally, it appears he was within his rights to shoot. Morally, I question the law that gave him that authority.

 

He probably wishes he would have done that as well. If Texas chooses they can rewrite the law.
__________________

 

Is stealing a girlfriend, an act of theft. If so i'll be dragging that fokker to texas soon.

If everyone can shoot and append criminals in texas, why are there "paid" cops in texas. What a waste of taxpayer money.

 

LOL very good. The law gives a person a right to protect. More States should adopt the same law provision.

 

In the end there are two less crimminals on the street.

 

It would have been better if he let the cops take them off the street

 

Maybe he was just firing a warning shot and missed

 

You didn't understand what I was saying. The time the guy went outside to the time he shot, there was barely any time to react.

The cop was waiting for the uniformed cops on duty to arrive, the correct thing to do.

and one more murderer on the streets.

-----------not posed to bogart...

A grand jury yet again not indicting does not = he didn't do anything wrong, lack of evidence or strong enough evidence often carries such a decision.

To continue to say he was within his legal rights is simply false, even with the grand jury decision. All it takes is being unsure, not enough proof of the guys frame of mind. Even people who wrote the law state it was not to be used in the way it was in this case.

 

@Grim
I agree on the 911 tape it sounds as there was no time wasted before shots were fired. If the cop would have been in the area he could have told the robbers to stop and lay down. The man would not have fired if he saw the police.

I would have exited the patrol car upon arriving with my service weapon drawn. I would not have waited.

 

You can call him a killer, but he is not a murderer in Texas.

 

Ahh but most times a cop not in uniform will wait for the uniformed officers, he'll simply wait and observe. He was doing more than likely what he was trained to do.

Just because someone is not convicted of a crime does not make him a killer and not a murderer.

 

Which, in practical terms, makes burglary a capital punishment crime.