Was This Shooting/Killing Justified?

[rhinefire]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

 

[davidtaylorjr]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

If that is actually what happened, and she had a crowbar, I would say yes, this is justified self-defense.

 

[mak2]

yes, she had a crowbar and it was reasonable to preceive her as a threat. The shooter however should be sentenced to some sort of firearms class. Dummy.

 

[blaxshep]

a woman who was trying to break into his home

That's all we need to know.

 

[ttwtt78640]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

Not enough information given for me to decide. Firing without knowing what (or who) your rounds may hit is not justified IMHO.

 

[rhinefire]

yes, she had a crowbar and it was reasonable to preceive her as a threat. The shooter however should be sentenced to some sort of firearms class. Dummy.

Why should she have to go to firearm class? In a panic mode all the rules go out the window-you should know that!!

 

[blaxshep]

Not enough information given for me to decide. Firing without knowing what (or who) your rounds may hit is not justified IMHO.

That is reckless endangerment to say the least but the act shooting at someone breaking into your home in and of itself is always justified IMO.

 

[YoungConserv]

You try and break into my home your life is forfeit to me.

 

[mak2]

Cause he damn near shot the neighbors, poor form.

Why should she have to go to firearm class? In a panic mode all the rules go out the window-you should know that!!

 

[VanceMack]

Cause he damn near shot the neighbors, poor form.

His hit rate was higher than that of trained police officers.

 

[American]

Why should she have to go to firearm class? In a panic mode all the rules go out the window-you should know that!!

Poor grouping.

 

[humbolt]

Justified. Stupid, but justified. This isn't warfare. Spray and pray is for the battlefield.

 

[Jerry]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

I don't fire unles and until I have "posative identification". Firing through a door is unacceptable. Firing more than one shot while blind is even worse.

To me it sounds like the death was justified, but there may be cause for some kind of reckless endangerment charge for the neighbors.

 

[lizzie]

Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

Yes, it is justified. In Texas, you have the right to defend yourself and your property. If anyone was trying to force themselves into my home at night, I would shoot.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Yes, it is justified. In Texas, you have the right to defend yourself and your property. If anyone was trying to force themselves into my home at night, I would shoot.

You also have the right to not expect bullets to be fired through your walls/doors because your neighbor was being "threatened". The part of the story being largely ignored is the huge potential for collateral damage when firing blindly through a door. While two out of three rounds fired did manage to hit only the (unseen?) "target" the other round could have easily caused injury or death of an innocent neighbor.

 

[Blue_State]

Poor grouping.

Could have been a good grouping...the target just dropped before the third one got there.

BTW. This is justified.

 

[Jerry]

Why should she have to go to firearm class? In a panic mode all the rules go out the window-you should know that!!

Not if you train, they don't.

 

[VanceMack]

Ive tried to find more info on this incident but thats all we know. For all we know, the man looked through a peephole and saw her, identified who and what and fired three shots. 2 out of 3 shots hit the would be home intruder. By cop standards he would be up for Marksman of the Month.

 

[nota bene]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

Here's the link to KHOU, your source: HPD: Woman trying to break into apartment shot to death in northwest Houston | khou.com Houston

 

[Spartacus FPV]

Justified, but stupid.

I'd never break rule 3 of firearm safety, besides most officers (and lawyers) always told me to wait until they cross the threshold.

 

[davidtaylorjr]

Cause he damn near shot the neighbors, poor form.

True

Justified. Stupid, but justified. This isn't warfare. Spray and pray is for the battlefield.

Let's see that be the case if it happened to you...

I don't fire unles and until I have "posative identification". Firing through a door is unacceptable. Firing more than one shot while blind is even worse.

To me it sounds like the death was justified, but there may be cause for some kind of reckless endangerment charge for the neighbors.

Waiting for postive identification when someone is breaking into your house? Really?

You also have the right to not expect bullets to be fired through your walls/doors because your neighbor was being "threatened". The part of the story being largely ignored is the huge potential for collateral damage when firing blindly through a door. While two out of three rounds fired did manage to hit only the (unseen?) "target" the other round could have easily caused injury or death of an innocent neighbor.

Wasn't the issue so not sure why it needs to be discussed.

Justified, but stupid.

I'd never break rule 3 of firearm safety, besides most officers (and lawyers) always told me to wait until they cross the threshold.

That's great that they say that, however, that could be the difference between life and death.

 

[nota bene]

Thank heavens the kids across the hall weren't injured or killed by the bullets that pierced their apartment. From KHOU readers' comments, it appears that the complex is in a less-than-desirable neighborhood, and this perhaps explains why the shooter fired. What it doesn't explain, as observed by one of the readers, is why he didn't call 9-11. There's not much info available yet, but what if one of those teens had been killed?

 

[Jerry]

Waiting for postive identification when someone is breaking into your house? Really?

Always. Every bullet has a lawyer attatched to it. Give them no reason to convict you.

 

[davidtaylorjr]

Always. Every bullet has a lawyer attatched to it. Give them no reason to convict you.

Could be the difference between life and death. Someone breaking into your house gives up their rights.

 

[Un biased]

HOUSTON – A northwest Houston apartment resident shot and killed a woman who was trying to break into his home early Tuesday, according to Houston police.
Police received a call about a suspicious person at a complex in the 6000 block of Hollister, just north of W. Tidwell Road, around 4 a.m.
Officers arrived to find a woman, who was in her 20s, lying on the sidewalk with a crowbar in her hand. She had been shot to death.
Police said the woman had been trying to pry open the front door of an apartment when the 23-year-old resident, who feared for his safety, fired three shots through the front door. Two of them hit the woman and the other went into the bedroom of teenagers who lived in a separate unit. Luckily, they were not harmed.
The woman’s identity is being withheld pending verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The case is being referred to the Harris County grand jury.

This is from the Houston Chroncile and it happened on June 18, 2013. QUESTION: Is this shooting justified? Was the resident's life in jeoprody? To me the resident was justified because one does not wiat to make certain they will be attacked instead one has to make the life or death decision.

Something is not right if she was breaking into his home with a crowbar but found dead on the side walk would she not be by the door or close to the home . I have many questions that need to be answered so I can pass judgment .