Police don't have to knock, CNN article

I need to find the article... here in Winter Haven a man was in the back yard of another. He tried to break-into that man's home earlier and could not.
They were arguing, the man in the back yard was unarmed (but the man inside did not know this) at one point in the argument the would-be burglar said "Man, I'm going to kill you", the home owner shot and killed him.
He went home from the police station that night.
This was before the FL Castle Doctrine.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

...at one point in the argument the would-be burglar said "Man, I'm going to kill you", the home owner shot and killed him.

And *that* is a righteous shoot. The shooter had a "reasonable belief that he was in danger of death or grevious bodily harm". If someone proclaims deadly intent, you'd be wise to beleive them and act accordingly.

Originally Posted by MaggieL

And *that* is a righteous shoot. The shooter had a "reasonable belief that he was in danger of death or grevious bodily harm". If someone proclaims deadly intent, you'd be wise to beleive them and act accordingly.

Breaking into your home is that proclamation.

Originally Posted by MaggieL

That's a hell of a story...but I don't think I'd hand my gun over to anybody, much less a burglar's father.

It was empty. The kid was about ten. It was ok, he was not mad at me... you had to be there.
Edit- My biggest fear was that he was going to hospitalize the kid "teaching him a lesson".... he was terrified in a way I have never seen anyone. But being a father, I cannot imagine being in his shoes, not something I would want to experience.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

It was empty. The kid was about ten. It was ok, he was not mad at me... you had to be there.

No doubt. And I did pick up that you'd unloaded the gun.

But parents can be very strange when their kids are/have been in danger; you could easily have ended up facing one who would decide it was your fault his kid was breaking into your place. At which point I wouldn't have wanted to have already disarmed myself

But as you say, you had to be there.

He was not getting it. He was in shock, as a first responder, I saw it right away.... I talked about something else for a second and asked if we could come inside and sit in the A/C.
Then I handed him the gun, something tangible so he could "hold on" to it.
Then he got it. I thought he was going to faint... not being dramatic, I asked if he needed to put his head down.
Took the gun back and then we were able to discuss what happened. He kept going back to an accusation that the window was open and I kept had to correct him until I offered to take him to the window to show him the stick and broken window and ask him to get his son in the room and ask him what happened... he then was ok with the truth. I assume.
I don't know how he handled it with his kid really... was a terrible day for me, but I felt for that family. They were very poor, I remember not having many toys and wanted to give him something, but would not reward such behavior.
I just hope he learned that he almost died and not that he got away with it... could have gone either way.