Category: Righteous Shootings

…in which we debate the use of the word “alleged”.

But first, the salient details of the case:

An alleged armed intruder died around 1:45 a.m. Sunday on the back porch of a Pierce County, Washington, home after a homeowner shot him.

KOMO News reported the homeowner called 911 to inform them he had shot an alleged intruder. Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene to find a 36-year-old suspect “with a single gunshot wound on the back porch.”
[cue applause for excellent shot placement]

Now I understand that everyone has to use the word “alleged” in matters like this, because the “alleged” dead guy had not been proven to be an intruder in a court of law.

In this case, however, the Corpus Delicti isn’t ever going to court, unless they rename cemeteries as such.  And then there’s this:

KING5 quoted Sheriff’s Office PIO officer Carly Cappetto saying, “In the surveillance video, it does show that suspect had a gun in his hand and was actively banging on [the] back door of that homeowner in a fully fenced backyard.”

Seems like pretty conclusive evidence that said “suspect” was indeed intruding — unless Our Hero had given him permission to climb over the backyard fence, which seems unlikely;  and similarly, the soon-to-be-dead asshole was carrying a gun, which in any place not named Boston or London might seem to indicate that he was dangerous, and therefore worthy of shooting — unless he simply wanted Our Hero to help him clean the thing, which also seems unlikely.

I should point out that when I report on Righteous Shootings, I often edit the headlines or text to remove these silly little qualifiers (like “suspected” or “alleged”) because they’re pointless and are there only to appease the Powdered Wig types in the public defenders’ office.

In situations like the above Blessed Event, however, such qualifiers are just unnecessary.

Just south of Chicago in Joliet, some choirboy armed himself with a screwdriver and some evil intent, and broke into a house occupied by a young woman and her little daughter.  Not knowing his intentions but making a good guess about them, the young mother shot the asshole in the head, sending his already-low IQ to zero and his body temperature to room-level.

Because this was in Joliet and not in the City Of Chicago, the police apparently muttered a couple of complimentary words about her fine placement, then did their job and carted the corpus delicti  off to the crematorium or wherever.

And if this story and its happy ending does not give you the Warm & Fuzzies, then we can’t be friends.

Many thanks to Reader Brad_In_IL for the link.

A few notes:  in some jurisdictions, Our Heroine would have been in trouble for her actions, using “disproportionate force” (whatever that means) — like she should have rummaged around in a toolbox and found a screwdriver to protect herself instead of using an eeeevil gun.  I know;  that sounds so stupid, but that is nevertheless the attitude of law enforcement and/or government in those places.

In the United States of America, however, we do not share the sentiments of Massachusetts and New York, never mind Britishland and other gun-fearing shitholes of similar inclination.