NOTE:This thread is for discussing the legal ramifications of the scenario presented below. Please do not address whether or not the shot should be taken. If you want to do that start a thread in Strategy & Tactics
SCENARIO:You are in your local 7-11 near the freezer reaching for a 6 pack of your favorite beer when you hear a scream near the cash register.
You are packing your favorite carry piece.
You turn to see what's going on and someone who is obviously high on drugs has grabbed a young woman and is holding her in front of him with a gun to her head while yelling at the cashier to give him all the money in the register. The cashier freaks and just drops to the floor behind the counter.
At this point the drug crazed robber loses it and starts yelling he's gonna kill the girl if the cashier doesn't turn over the money.
There is one other customer in the 7-11 near the exit and it looks to you like he's gonna run.
The robber is getting more and more agitated and in your best judgement he is just moments away from killing the girl.
You decide to step into her shoes and shoot the robber. He's about 15 feet away. A head shot at that distance will be easy - after all you've practiced on B-27 targets at that range many, many times and rarely miss.
You draw...
You aim...
You shoot...
AND you miss! You hit the girl in the shoulder and she drops like a rock onto the floor in front of the robber. She suffered a broken collar bone and other minor damage from the shot but will recover fully.
You then take 2 shots center of mass and kill the robber.
What happens with the law?
Is shooting the robber justified? (IMO it is).
What legal liabilities exist because you shot the girl. Can you be criminally charged for hitting her while stepping into her shoes and defending her life? If so what is the legal reasoning? If not why not.
If criminal charges result from shooting either the girl, the robber or both are those charges moraly justified?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
SCENARIO:You are in your local 7-11 near the freezer reaching for a 6 pack of your favorite beer when you hear a scream near the cash register.
You are packing your favorite carry piece.
You turn to see what's going on and someone who is obviously high on drugs has grabbed a young woman and is holding her in front of him with a gun to her head while yelling at the cashier to give him all the money in the register. The cashier freaks and just drops to the floor behind the counter.
At this point the drug crazed robber loses it and starts yelling he's gonna kill the girl if the cashier doesn't turn over the money.
There is one other customer in the 7-11 near the exit and it looks to you like he's gonna run.
The robber is getting more and more agitated and in your best judgement he is just moments away from killing the girl.
You decide to step into her shoes and shoot the robber. He's about 15 feet away. A head shot at that distance will be easy - after all you've practiced on B-27 targets at that range many, many times and rarely miss.
You draw...
You aim...
You shoot...
AND you miss! You hit the girl in the shoulder and she drops like a rock onto the floor in front of the robber. She suffered a broken collar bone and other minor damage from the shot but will recover fully.
You then take 2 shots center of mass and kill the robber.
What happens with the law?
Is shooting the robber justified? (IMO it is).
What legal liabilities exist because you shot the girl. Can you be criminally charged for hitting her while stepping into her shoes and defending her life? If so what is the legal reasoning? If not why not.
If criminal charges result from shooting either the girl, the robber or both are those charges moraly justified?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT...