I beg to differ
Okay, lots of posts talk about rendering air meaning that you regret shooting the BG, so it will be used against you in Court. Flip that coin over. You shoot the guy in the leg, and the Coroner testifies that the cause of death was exsanguination. He bled out. And, good Dr. Coroner testifies that this probably took 2-4 minutes after the shot, with the guy probably losing consciousness after 1-2 minutes. So, says Mr. Prosecutor, what was the shooter doing during the 2-4 minutes, and especially the last 2 or 3 minutes when the person could not have been a threat? Watching him bleed out? Sounds like intent to kill, not intent to stop the threat. Sounds like a Manslaughter indictment to me. It'll go something like this:
Lawyer: Mr. Shooter, after the BG fell as a result of your shot to his thigh, what did you do?
Shooter: I watched him and ensured that he was no longer a threat to my safety and the safety of my family.
Lawyer: So, as the coroner testified, the BG lost consciousness after a minute or two. He did, didn't he?
Shooter: Eventually.
Lawyer: And at that point, what did you do?
Shooter: I maintained cover on him until LE/EMT's arrived.
Lawyer: And records show that they arrived about five minutes after you called, correct?
Shooter: That sounds about right.
Lawyer: So, for five minutes, you watched BG bleeding to death on your floor, and never so much as bent over to offer him first aid?
Shooter: He was still a threat to my safety...
Lawyer: But he was unconscious for at least half of that time, and obiously wasn't a threat at that point, correct?
Shooter: I didn't know if he was faking...
Lawyer: Well, the lake of blood by his leg wasn't fake, was it?
Shooter: No, but...
Lawyer: You didn't even check to see if he was awake, or even breathing for that matter?
Shooter: No, he was still a threat...
Lawyer: You mean that unconscious and dying BG at your feet was still dangerous? In what way?
Shooter: He might have been faking it, waiting to jump me.
Lawyer: Well, he certainly wasn't faking bleeding to death, now was he?
Shooter: No.
Lawyer: In fact, isn't it true that you stood there and watched him bleed because you wanted him to die?
Shooter: NO! I didn't want him to die, but...
Lawyer: But you didn't do anything to even try to stop that?
Shooter: I called for help, but he was too dangerous to get close to.
Lawyer: The unconscious man blleding to death on your carpet was too dangerous? Was he still dangerous when he stopped bleeding because he was out of blood?
Pretty ugly. Now, imagine this scenario instead:
Lawyer: You shot BG in the leg?
Shooter: Correct.
Lawyer: You didn't have to do that, did you?
Shooter: Excuse me, I don't understand.
Lawyer: Well, obviously, he wasn't a real threat to you?
Shooter: He was very much a threat.
Lawyer: He was so dangerous that you were able to help him with his injuries?
Shooter: He had presented a threat when he brandished teh knife and came at me. I shot him to stop the threat. After he was shot, I convinced him to drop the knife. I kicked it away from him. I then tried to give basic first aid...pressure on the injury...while keeping myself safe.
Lawyer: So what your saying is that you didn't mean to hurt him, and you were trying to correct your mistake by treating his injury?
Shooter: Not at all. I shot him because he was a threat. I didn't shoot him to kill, I shot him to stop his threatening behaviors. So, once I was able to stop his threatening behavior, I tried to help with the injuries. I shot him to protect myself and my family, not to kill him. And, then I tried to do what I could to help him survive the injuries.
Which situation do you think would sell better to a jury of people, most of whom get their knowledge of guns and tactics from television and the movies?
(By the way, the exchanges were written for dramatic effect. Neither represent how an actual exchange would occur in Court, as there would no doubt be objections and a far lengthier manner of questioning. You attorneys out there, forgive me for seeking to be brief. You non-lawyers out there, you are welcome for me being brief.
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