You Can't Shoot Someone Just Because You Are Pissed Off

The Easley Progress > Accused burglar shot while fleeing Now if someone is breaking into your home, it is a good idea to arm yourself. They may become violent once they are inside and confront you.

But if they realize you are home, and they leave off trying to break in and take off away from you while attempting to flee the scene, you can't shoot them. They are no threat to you, and they aren't even a threat to your property. Get their license number and call 911.

The subtitle of this article is "Homeowner charged with assault with intent to kill." This isn't something you should ever be involved in.

Moore and the juvenile thought the homeowner wasn't home and stopped their attempts to enter the residence when they saw Wade inside, the warrant said.

As the two men ran toward their vehicle and were attempting to enter it, Wade "did with malice aforethought shoot...Brent Moore with the intent to kill him," the warrant said.

The idea behind self-defense is that you (or someone you care about) have to face an imminent threat of death or grave bodily harm. Different states have different laws (duty to retreat, etc.), but if you are not in jeopardy, then you certainly are not morally justified using lethal force. In this case, the guy wasn't legally justified either.

"You just can't kill someone over property," [Assistant Sheriff Tim] Morgan said. "Wade wasn't protecting his life, or his property, or even the area surrounding his home.

"The vehicle with the men inside was 80 yards away and they were attempting to flee."

Self-defense may be a human right, but this type of violence cannot be described that way. Vigilantism? Perhaps, but not self-defense.