New neighborhood - neighbor says he's shot and killed intruders!

[Seanpcola]

I'd have to agree about being leery of your new neighbor. Not something I would reveal to someone I just met one way or the other.

I do wonder about how much is really revealed by the media and how much is covered up for one reason or another.

Reason I say this is because of what happened in my old neighborhood a few years back:

I was living on the water at that time. Hurricane Ivan hit (Sept. 2004) and every house in the neighborhood was pretty well destroyed. Two days after landfall I was digging through the rubble trying to salvage what I could of household items when I heard two shots extremely close by. I really didn't think much about it since I had a LOT on my mind at that time and there was all kinds of equipment running and demo type work going on. A few minutes later the Sheriff's helicopter circled overhead and right after that several LE vehicles and an ambulance drove past my house. I walked up to the driveway to see where they went. All parked in front of my neighbors place three houses down. I found out later that day that my neighbor had shot and killed a looter in his house.

Never saw anything about it anywhere. Also, I was told by a LEO acquaintance that things like that happened a lot after the storm and went unreported. I have no reason not to believe him but sure seems like it would be mentioned somewhere.

 

[longdayjake]

If everyone did that I'd be out of a job.

Working for a pawn shop eh?

Joking aside, I have shot several intruders on my property. None of them happened to be humans though.

 

[Derry 1946]

If you do end up becoming friends, knock before entering his home.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Sounds like my kind of neighbor.


A whole lot better than, "Oh I couldn't shoot those poor fellows just because they were stealing my stuff. Gee, you wouldn't shoot someone just because they were stealing your TV, would you".

 

[Ignition Override]

The movie "Gran Turino" (Eastwood) came out less then six years ago.

Any other neighbor who was around can easily verify it, and aware neighbors would give his yard a second glance when they walk by.

 

[M2 Carbine]

3) good to know you have a guy like that on one side of your property.

The new neighbors had been moved in several months.
One day I went with another neighbor to the new neighbors house.

About the first thing the new neighbor lady said was, "You the one doing all the shooting?

I said, "That's me".

She said, "Will you teach me to shoot?".

I said, "I'd be glad to" and I did.

 

[RyanAnchors]

The OP brought up lethal self-defense first, before the neighbor ever did. I don't see anything wrong with the neighbor's conversation.

As for making sure that was his "only course of action" there is no "duty to retreat" in your home in almost every state in the country (even California!) and there shouldn't be.

If someone is breaking into your HOME, unwelcomed in the middle of the night - lethal force is always justified in my opinion (and according to most state's laws, again even California has a "castle doctrine" that says you are presumed to be in fear for your life is some a-hole jumps in through your dining room window at 2am - unfortunately you will probably still take a ride in this state before it gets cleared up).

If you think you should stand there and figure out if they are armed in your own home or try to flee your own home and family for robbers/home-invaders, then you probably shouldn't own a firearm for self-defense.

I'm not saying you should shoot the kid carelessly walking through your yard at noon on the way home from school, but you shouldn't definitely be ready to defend yourself and your home from ANY intrusion.

Your home is the one place in this world that is truly YOUR personal space where you have the right to feel safe and secure.

 

[1911Tuner]

I'm in the suspicious camp on this one. While someone might divulge that information in private after getting better acquainted with a new arrival...to open a dialogue in that manner would tend to put me off. It's not normally something that people talk about very much, and certainly not something that they'd volunteer on the first meeting...even if the new guy did open the door.

 

[El Mariachi]

And? Do we get a cite on this story? Or do we just file it under Folkloric Yeti-isms?.....

 

[lizziedog1]

Do you have any good hip boots?

If not, you should invest in some.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Do you have any good hip boots?

I can't imagine someone telling that story if it wasn't true because the truth will surface quickly.

The guy killing three such low life individuals wouldn't bother me a bit. Telling such a lie would cause me to stay away from the guy.

 

[heeler]

Honestly I could see it easily being one person shot dead.
Happens on a fairly regular basis here in Houston of home owners doing this to criminals.
But three would make a really ,really big news story.
Think Joe Horn.

 

[12131]

OP, did you google any info on the "shooting" that your neighbor said he did? I figure, that would have been a huge deal and all over the news, when it was supposed to have happened. Easily verified.

Google: Shooting deaths in exclusive gated community.

 

[Sam1911]

All right ... enough speculating.

Either the guy did what he said, and maybe is a bit freer and more glib with such information than we might expect, or he didn't and he's a bit of a Rambo fantasy type and not over-burdened with compulsive honesty.

I'm sure leadcounsel is going to do a little checking, and maybe a bit more chatting.

Research into what exactly happened, both during the incident and during the investigation afterward might prove to be very illuminating.

Until we have something more solid to discuss, this is just potentially embarrassing wheel-spinning.