Ohio - criminal drives off with car at gas station, nephew is inside.. do you shoot?

[braindead0]

It's been all over the news here in Ohio..At gas station, guy went in to pay for his gas (buy donuts..whatever), left his nephew in the car.. And some criminal climbed in and stole his car... As I watched the footage of the vehicle owner running out to the car as it speeds away.. I got to thinking...

If you were carrying in that situation, would you consider your nephew to be in immediate danger?

Of course, I never leave the keys in my car.. In fact if I were in that situation the vehicle would have been off and locked up while I went into the store. That's a no brainer, and I expect most people here would do that too.

Just thought this would lead to some very interesting discussion.

 

[nico]

I don't think I'd shoot for fear of hitting my nephew. It probably isn't the best or safest idea to fire a gun at a gas station either.

btw, I always lock my doors and take my keys when I get gas, even if I'm paying at the pump.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Is your nephew in immediate danger with the guy driving off with him. Yes and no. You can't trust the guy to care for the nephew's travels or that they will be safe. He could run red lights in busy intersections and be off to commit suicide with a train in the stolen vehicle.

Then again, the kid may not be in immediate danger as the passenger of a stolen car not being chased by another vehicle.

In either case, it would be exceedingly stupid to start zinging off shots at the vehicle containing the nephew. If the kid was not in immediate danger, he will be with every shot you fire, plus the danger of whatever fright you instill into the driver or harm you do to the driver who will not be trying to drive faster to get away from the idiot with the gun.

In Texas, it is not enough to take your keys and lock your doors. It is not legal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. It sounds silly and does not get enforced much, but kids get taken with some frequency as baggage in a car quickly grabbed at a pump or convenience store. It is also supposed to be illegal to leave the keys in the car, especially with the car running, but idiots do it all the time.

 

[TallPine]

How old was the boy?

 

[Correia]

Depends if I had a decent shot.

If I did then I would certainly shoot. Use of deadly force is justified when you have a reasonable belief that you or a loved one is in danger of grevious bodily harm. Getting kidnapped by a stranger certainly falls under that category. So yes, if I had a clean shot I would shoot the kidnapper.

 

[Dorian]

Like Corriea said... depends on wether or not I had a real good shot lined up or not. I'd have to be SUPER close and the shot going NOWHERE near my nephew.

 

[answerguy]

If you want to steal my car just follow me to the gas station, I can't remember the last time I didn't leave my keys in the car.

 

[standingbear]

even if I had a clear shot,i wouldnt take it-lose either way.the car is speeding off,i put 1 through his neck and he blacks out.now if he makes it to a major road,not only is the nephews life in danger but every car in the stolen cars vicinity.he rolls the car..head ons the car..who knows.a tough situation thats best avoided by playing it safe by shutting off the car and locking it,bringing everyone inside with you.

 

[Jeff White]

What do you guys carry for CCW, AT4s? I don't see the sense of shooting at a moving vehicle unless it's coming at you and you have no where to run.

Jeff

 

[Iain]

Correia - would the law accept it as justified?

I think you might have a hard time explaining it to the police, especially if it all went wrong, as it could so easily do.

 

[Mike Irwin]

My nephew? As he is now? Oh yeah.

 

[org]

St. Johns, whether the law would like it or not is immaterial in this case, to me. The only thing that counts is: Would shooting be more dangerous to the nephew than not shooting. There's no cut and dry answer, and any answer you arrive at may be right and may be wrong. Monday morning quarterbacks will decide after the fact.

 

[Iain]

True org, it seems to me (in this country at least) that the law in these cases is all about 'monday morning quarterbacking'.

 

[org]

More and more here, also, St John

 

[Baba Louie]

As my nephew is 30 and carries... moot point for me.

Probably not unless I was so close I couldn't miss a tire. Nephew is already in enough jeopardy and I really don't know how I'm gonna tell my sister I was terminally stupid anyway, let alone the uncle who shot the guy who stole and then crashed my car and killed or maimed my nephew for life...

But thats just me.

How did it play out? Is the kid (I assume a youngster) OK?

 

[Blackhawk]

Absolutely not. MY life isn't in danger at that momemt, and that's one criterion for shooting. The other one is if his life is in imminent danger that can be resolved by my shooting, and I don't see how that can be in the scenario you describe. This is a case for the cops, and keep the CCW concealed....

 

[Logistar]

In Kentucky, it is legal to use deadly force to stop a kidnapping or a rape. If I had a good shot, I would take it. I would disable the car if I could or possible take him out.

Sure, the nephew could get injured or killed in the process but *I* prefer not just letting this guy drive off with him and be in control of his fate.

Just my opinion... I don't subscribe to this "Oh, don't shoot, you might hurt somebody" stuff when you have a criminal already kidnapping someone with "who knows what" in mind.

That being said... I wouldn't take a really BAD shot either but I had a good shot....

If I won't CONSIDER using my gun to try and STOP the BG from running off with my nephew... why am I carrying it?

YMMV

Logistar

 

[VNgo]

Given that I've taught my nephew exactly where he can stick his Swiss Army pocketknife, I figure the guy will have multiple stab wounds in the back or side before he even manages to pull out of the station.

 

[jimpeel]

Firing at a fleeing felon, especially a fleeing felon in a vehicle, will get you in more trouble than you want to contemplate.

 

[gunsmith]

if he kidnapped my nephew

he would be pulling figers out of his eyes
how old was the kid?

 

[4570Rick]

If it were my nephew

God help the BG. Drs would have their work cut out for them pulling the skateboard out of the guy's ear.

 

[braindead0]

The news hasn't said much more about it. The kid was let out a few blocks down the road, so it ended well.. They found the car and a suspect a few blocks later.

From what I could see in the surveilance video, the guy started backing up when the vehicle owner ran out. He could have had a pretty clear shot at the driver through the right of the windshield, any deflection from that angle would I think move the bullet away from the passenger compartment.

Otoh, he could have had a pretty clear shot at both right side tires from approx 10', but he was running at the time.. and the car was moving (and soon to be moving faster).

Obviously the first rule is to never let yourself get into this situation. Judging from the video, I'd say there were no really good shots to be taken..

 

[foghornl]

A I understand, nephew is 5 years old. Got dropped off (or tossed out) a couple of blocks away.

Not the be the M.M.Q. (Mon AM quarterback), but I NEVER leave keys in car...not even in my attached closed garage

 

[Jonesy9]

I woulds jumped on the hood and put few rounds through the windshield Mel gibson style!



just kidding

glad it ended safely for the tot

 

[rangerbill]

it would depend...

if i thought the guy was only after the car and would kick the nephew out a few blocks away. i would not risk it.
but if i had reason to believe he were after the nephew, ie sexual thing or murder, i would fire.

i have two young children. i thought this thru long ago. if i saw someone snatch one of them up. i would fire even at the risk of hitting the child. its a dire circumstance but i would rather take the chance of protecting the child from whatever the kidnapper had in mind. in all likelyhood in that case if i did not fire i would probably never see the child alive again. i would rather know i tried than to know the child is going thru possibly years of sexual torture. just my grim opinion.