Finally, Justice

Here’s an update to a Righteous Shooting aftermath:

Brian Camp, who was charged with manslaughter after shooting a man who broke into his girlfriend’s home, has been acquitted. The not guilty verdict was read in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton. Prosecutors said Camp shot 27-year-old Jonathan Letendre when he showed up unannounced at Camp’s girlfriend’s home in Chesterfield in December of 2022.

The woman with whom Letendre had previously had a relationship was upstairs sleeping with Camp and her two young children. The news release from the DA’s office says that the woman and Camp woke up when they heard Letendre coming up the stairs to the second floor.

During a fight between Camp and Letendre, the woman called the police for help when gunfire was heard while talking with dispatchers. Approximately eight and a half minutes later, another shot was fired. At around 1 a.m. officers found Letendre, who was shot in the torso and the back of the head, on the kitchen floor.

Camp would’ve faced 20 years in state prison if he was convicted.

So someone finally saw sense and ended this bullshit.  The fact that it took two full years to get there is doubtless because all this happened in Massachusetts, where self-defense = murder.  Still:

Dept. Of Righteous Shootings

Several Readers sent me this happy little tale (and thankee, one and all).  Seems as though this goblin invaded a home armed with a butane torch, motive unknown but I think we can all make a good guess.  Anyway, his mistake was in threatening Our Hero’s grandchildren, whereupon said goblin received  a quick bullet to the vitals and expired shortly after.  (That’s the reason they’re called “the vitals” — destroy them and you’re dead.)

This lovely story, however, also contains a Quote Of The Day nugget from an attorney:

“The law doesn’t require someone to gamble on the intentions of an intruder.”

Which is why, even in the People’s Soviet of California, Our Hero is unlikely to face charges.

Also, it seems inadvisable to bring a butane torch to a gunfight.  Lesson learned, alas too late for the goblin.

Department Of Righteous Shootings

Ordinarily, I’d treat the end result of the story: “guy feels aggrieved, gets a machete and attacks, only to be shot dead by the attackee”  with something approaching glee, but as this story (sent By Reader Brad_In_IL, thankee) shows, things are often not as cut and dried:

According to authorities, 36-year-old Michel Lope Montes de Oca had contacted a mobile tire repair service to fix his car, and he got into an altercation with the mechanic who showed up and started working on his vehicle.

The customer became upset when he checked the tire that was installed on his car and found that it was a used tire, police said.

Now, let’s at least acknowledge that selling a used tire at a new-tire price is not an action that doesn’t require at least some pushback.  But “getting upset” should never involve grabbing a handy cutting implement and having at it.  Over-action, meet overreaction.

As Señor  Machete discovered, alas too late.

One must ask — although not condemn — why a tire repair guy would feel the need for self-protection in his job.  But if it’s his common practice to sell old tires as new, small wonder.

Left a bad taste in my mouth, this one did.

Department Of Righteous Shootings

What can you say when a popular high school football player is cut down in his prime, taken too soon and is a victim of gunfire?

Perhaps the little asshole shouldn’t have crashed into a Halloween party and shot nine people, before being gunned down himself by another armed partygoer who didn’t much care for his attitude.

The latter part only came out after everyone was calling our scumbag footballer the victim, instead of the aggressor he actually was.

Best part is that the hero of the story isn’t going to be charged with any crime — self-defense duh, not to mention saving innocent lives — so we won’t have to bring out the tar and feathers for the local prosecutor.

Dept. Of Righteous Shootings

So this mope and his cocksocket decide to indulge in a little undocumented shopping at a city drugstore.  An employee stops said socket and takes away the merchandise from her, whereupon the choirboy, enraged at the audacity, pulls a gun.

And gets shot dead by another employee.

Sadly, instead of being given the keys to the city or at least being promoted, Our Hero will most likely be fired because a.) Chicago and b.) Walgreens.

I will be delighted beyond words if I’m proved wrong when this does not happen.
#OddsAgainst100-1

So Much For Paradise

I know, I know:  Hawaii is anything but Paradise, that’s just PR.  In fact, when it comes to the mucky business of everydqy life — e.g. protecting your family from scumbag neighbors, it’s closer to Hell.  So we’ve all heard about this sorry little tale:

Only in Hawaii* would prosecutors arrest an armed homeowner who stopped a violent neighbor who had just rammed several cars with a front-end loader, shot and killed three women, wounded two others, and posed an immediate threat to shoot more. Yet, that’s exactly what law enforcement officials did…

Until some vestige of common sense (not to say to protect their asses from a lynch mob) set in:

…before ultimately deciding not to pursue charges, citing “issues related to self-defense and defense of others.” Even anti-gun officials, as much as they might have wanted to prosecute the man, had to acknowledge this was a clear case of justifiable self-defense.

When you read the details, it’s not only “a clear case of justifiable self-defense”, but also a confirmation of the old “he needed killing” saying.

The good part of all this?

Local lawmakers are now discussing the possibility of strengthening the state’s self-defense laws in response to the incident. Democratic state representative Darius Kila (that’s right, a Democrat!), whose district is near the scene, is among those pushing for changes. Kila has expressed interest in making Hawaii’s laws more clear-cut by shifting toward a “stand your ground” framework, rather than the current “duty to retreat” standard. He believes residents should be assured that they can defend themselves and their loved ones without fear of legal repercussions, especially in situations as dire as the one that unfolded in Waianae.

Yeah, forgive me for being skeptical, but I’m going to wait until actual laws have been passed before singing hallelujahs.

This is Hawaii, after all.


*not just Hawaii;  I can think of at least three states where the hero homeowner would have been arrested if not prosecuted for his perfectly-justifiable actions.