But why the need to think of any possible scenario to absolve this man of blame/guilt? Multiple intruders...close to Detroit...houses looked similar...break-ins in the past and on and on. The lawyer for the owner hasn't even brought up any of these excuses yet.
Because a homeowner has the right to defend himself/his home if he feels threatened, and her behavior may have made him feel threatened. Again, she did not deserve to be shot, that is understood and agreed, but HE likely had no way of knowing who she was and why she was banging on his door (or trying to get in or whatever she MAY have been doing), ergo,
if she was behaving in an erratic or threatening manner then he is justified in his action, however tragic they turned out to be.
imo, if I live where this guy did, on the border of Detroit, there's a 95-100% chance that someone trying my doors at 3:40 a.m. is a criminal. Most likely a home invasion or minimum a burglary with a weapon. Like I said, I would never live there voluntarily. But if you DO live there, imo, you can't be faulted for reaching the most likely conclusion about why someone's trying to get into your house in the wee hours. Whether this shooting was accidental, justified or otherwise, is the only question in my mind. I have no doubt that the homeowner thought he was in grave danger, even though it fortuitously turned out he probably was not. jmo
I agree with this.
Respectfully, I disagree. Where she was beforehand has nothing to do with whether the homeowner acted properly in the eyes of the law. For example, if a woman is raped, what she was wearing isn't relevant. The same concept applies here. While Renisha's actions at the homeowner's house is relevant in determining whether the homeowner acted appropriately, what she was doing before the accident isn't.
Not even REMOTELY the same. No. A woman minding her own business wearing whatever she wants is NOT the same as a highly intoxicated individual who may or may not have been acting in a frightening manner. I can't believe the two are even comparable :facepalm:
ETA: The reason her whereabouts and actions beforehand are relevant is because they might be contributing to her behavior on the porch. You said yourself her actions at the house are relevant. Well, what led to her even being on that porch?
Again, disclaimer, so no one gets the wrong idea. I desperately wish the homeowner had chosen a different course of action. Stayed inside, called the police, went upstairs and barricaded himself in a bedroom if he felt threatened. I fully support gun ownership, and I wouldn't go to the door if I thought someone were trying to get in my house. BUT,
if if if Renisha were trying to gain entry, his actions are regrettable but (I hesitate to use this word) understandable.
Also, for some reason, I have a weird feeling that he didn't intend to fire his shotgun but his finger was on the trigger (shouldn't have been, should never have your finger on a trigger unless you are actively about to fire it).