Act of Self-Defense, or needless murder?

[Dragon]

http://www.thetowerlight.com/jhu-student-kills-intruder-with-sword-1.1881514


When faced with a home intruder, some people, if not most people, call the police. One Baltimore man, however, fought back.

A Johns Hopkins University student, armed with a samurai sword, killed a man who broke into his garage early Tuesday morning.

Police have now identified the burglary suspect as Donald D. Rice, 49, and the student as John Pontolillo, 20, of Wall, N.J.

At approximately 1:20 a.m., officers responded to a report of a suspicious person at a home in the 300 block of E. University Parkway. Neighbors reported to the police that a heavyset black male wearing a black T-shirt was on the porch around the house, detective Dony Moses, information officer for the Baltimore Police Department, said. At that time, they did a preliminary investigation on the matter.

“A short time thereafter, we were called back to the house for an injured person,” Moses said.

The homeowner stumbled upon the suspect in the garage of his home and was carrying the samurai sword at the time. The student ordered the burglar to stand still, according to Moses, and the suspect lunged at the student.

“The student, in a panic, swung the samurai sword, striking the left wrist of the suspect and partially severing his hand,” Moses said. “The suspect then fell to the floor, at which time he bled out and died on the scene.”

Rice had been released Saturday from a Baltimore County facility and has “a lengthy record” with the police department, Moses said.

Homicide detectives are currently investigating the case, which is protocol, Moses said. The police department is currently going through the interview process of the investigation.

Three other people were in the house with the student at the time.

Pontolillo was not harmed during the confrontation.

At this point, charges against Pontolillo are still pending. It will be up to the state attorney’s office to decide whether or not he will be charged, Moses said.

JHU’s Dean of Student Life, Susan Boswell, sent out a statement concerning the incident Tuesday afternoon. In it, she mentioned a recent increase in burglaries in the areas North and East of the college campus. The student's home had been burglarized Monday, having two laptops and a Sony PlayStation stolen. Police presence had been increased in the area because of the increase in crime.

“That enhanced presence will continue at least until it is known whether the intruder involved in this morning’s incident was responsible for the other break-ins,” Boswell said in the statement.

Boswell also advised that, should other students encounter an intruder in their home, that they call 911 instead of confronting that person. Students have been encouraged to go over security policies as well.

“Please take this advice seriously. We were very fortunate that no student was harmed last night,” Boswell said in her statement. “All of us should take action to minimize the chances that we will be victimized. While the University and the police are our active partners in fighting crime on and around campus, our personal safety is, at bottom, also very much our personal responsibility.”



I personally think the student should be paraded around the town as a hero. He stood up to crime and showed criminals that innocent people CAN fight back. The thought of him being prosecuted is sickening. If it's 1am and a shady adult is breaking into your garage and lunges at you, what are you supposed to do? Stand there and say "Now hold on mister while I call the cops."?

No. You scream "AHHHHH" and swing the sword.

If we punish someone for acting in self-defense what does that tell the criminals? It tells them that there is no danger in breaking into a house, because the innocent residents will have a fear of being punished for defending themselves ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY IN THEIR OWN HOUSE.

That's my thoughts, at least.

[Scornic]

I fully agree, I see no reason for the kid to be charged with anything when he was just trying to protect himself. Self-Defense and murder are both very different things. They should both be handled differently as well.

I'm hoping this case is resolved in the kid's favor. That will make thieves slightly more apprehensive to go around breaking the law.

[Eidolon]

width=425 height=344

Loved their commentary on this, may contain bad language.

[Toasterovenmakingtoast]

That's easily a matter of self defense. You're not just gonna sit there while a robber attacks you.

[Lumeh]

He warned the burglar, knowing that he was unarmed, and didn't want to fight. And obviously, the burglar didn't heed this warning and attacked, which resulted in his death. And if the student didn't have a sword, he probably would have died.

That's textbook self-defense right there.

People could probably make the argument "he should have tried harder not to kill him". Which is a weak response because I don't think there's much time for decision making when an older, larger man is running right at you. I do think though, that he should have called an ambulance, but that burglar had what was coming.

[MadChild13]

Self-defense is the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force is available in many jurisdictions, but the interpretation varies widely. To be aquitted of any kind of physical harm-related crime (such as assault and battery and homicide) using the self-defense justification, one must prove legal provocation, meaning that one must prove that they were in a position where not using self-defense would most likely lead to significant injury to life, limb, or property.

--------------

Therefore, this is entirely self-defense.

His intention wasn't to kill the guy, it was a reaction to the guy lunging at him. He had no way of knowing that severing his hand would result in the guy bleeding out.

[KiDULTHOOD]

Why the #### are we taught self defense if it only just lands us in trouble by the law. ####ing ridiculous.

[Zapurdead]

I think that even though it is obviously self defense, all cases have to be sent to check for homicide as protocol. This guy will not get charged.

[Luisd.]

madchild beet me agian to it. thank God were i live in Florida they passed a law called the "castle law". basically if a person is in your property to cuase you harm you may use a self defence weapon this also applies to your car or boat. before in Florida you had to retreat and if you were being pursued then you can use lethal force. im not sure where this took place so they can try to get the kid in trouble but thats REALLY UNLIKELY.

[MadChild13]

Why the #### are we taught self defense if it only just lands us in trouble by the law. ####ing ridiculous.

As I posted earlier, you can defend yourself, your property or another person, however you can only use as much force as absolutely necessary to achieve that.

Had this guy continued stabbing the burglar after he severed his hand or started beating the gut after he was subdued, it would have been considered excessive force and beyond the scope of self-defense.

As bad as it sounds, if someone breaks into your home and say you shoot them, your best bet is to fire the gun until it's empty. If you do a "one shot, one kill", it shows that you weren't panicking and able to maintain your composure enough to shoot a gun. It's a lot harder to convince a jury and a good prosecuting lawyer will make you look like a monster.

[Harv]

Well the title of this thread and the issue at hand are two slightly different things.

Should he be prosecuted for killing this man? No, of course not. It was obviously self defence. I doubt he even intended to really harm him when he swung otherwise he'd have lost more than an arm and I am almost positive that he only brought the sword to scare the burglar off.

Although I say this, I'm sure deep within his mind, suppressed very strongly, was the urge to cut someone up with his sword and be able to say he killed someone with a bloody samurai sword and got away with it. It sickens me that I know that thought would cross even my mind...

Anyway, although he should not be charged for doing this, killing him wasn't the right thing to do but in that situation that was little alternative to criminal that has broken into your house and is not jumping at you despite you warning him and showing off your nice sword that to swing it. If he had a choice, then it would be wrong but he didn't really causing this needless murder.

For confronting the the guy though and not squealing like repulsive filth though, he deserves a medal. Would've been better if he took him on without the sword; would be braver but less badass.

I think the real question is though, what's going to happen to the Saumrai Sword? :O

EDIT:

I don't agree with the above post. If after he was dead, he started cutting off his limbs and said it was so he move it easier, that doesn't stop it from being self defence. If he hacked at him or whatevever and crushed his face with his shoe, it was although excessive, not his fault, although it would be pretty sick of him.

The point I'm trying to make is, if he's holding a weapon, he isn't playing around. A weapon doesn't exist to wound. When you fire a gun, you don't aim for the leg. A weapon is meant to kill and that is what he did. If your prepared to hold a sword you should be prepared to use it, otherwise pack it away, hide in the attic in a little corner a dial the police while desperately trying to stop your bladder from exploding.

[I Faw Down]

Paraded around Baltimore?

I wouldn't want to even be in Baltimore...

[Sweet Cuppin' Cakes]

Paraded around Baltimore?

I wouldn't want to even be in Baltimore...

Seriously, Baltimore is almost as bad as Ohio.

In New York, you need to prove that the burglar had intent to harm you if you kill him. So it just ends up being your word against a dead man's. Also if someone ever breaks into my house, I will shoot them dead. This edges in on my philosophy that every day is as good a day to die as any other.

[denacioust]

I personally think the student should be paraded around the town as a hero.

A hero? Manslaughter isn't heroic. Sure, it takes courage to stand up to someone, but at the end of the day someone is still dead. I don't care of the circumstances the killer shouldn't be paraded as a hero. I don't believe the kid should be punished, but he's no hero either.

If we punish someone for acting in self-defense what does that tell the criminals? It tells them that there is no danger in breaking into a house, because the innocent residents will have a fear of being punished for defending themselves ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY IN THEIR OWN HOUSE.


You didn't read the story did you? The burglar died. Yeah, that was kind of a big point of the story. I'd hardly consider that no danger.

[Eidolon]

I don't care of the circumstances the killer shouldn't be paraded as a hero.


So I guess we can't call batman, superman, or the green lanturn heros anymore. All have killed a person (whether they wanted to or not).

[IrascibleTroll]

You didn't read the story did you? The burglar died. Yeah, that was kind of a big point of the story. I'd hardly consider that no danger.

Dragon said if we couldn't use self defense. If the man gets prosecuted then it'll mean that we'd have to use caution when using self defense. I mean, if someone breaks into your house at night and you have a weapon, say a sword next to you, you're not going to control your strikes. Also, most burglaries don't result in the death of the burglar.

[Helmic]

You didn't read the story did you? The burglar died. Yeah, that was kind of a big point of the story. I'd hardly consider that no danger.

But the 20 year old man would probably have been more reluctant to defend himself had the law not been on his side, likely resulting in bad shit happening. Criminals in general tend to go after weaker targets that can't adequately defend themselves.

Obviously these are two different leagues, but I remember a lot of my bullies beating me because they thought I would get in more trouble for defending myself than they would get for attacking me - even though they obvious were going to break my bones, if I broke theirs first, I'd get the blame. Those assaults stopped when I finally fought back - and didn't get in any trouble for it.

To be honest, something tells me the burglar attacked because all the guy had was a sword. He probably thought it was just a cheap replica.

[denacioust]

So I guess we can't call batman, superman, or the green lanturn heros anymore. All have killed a person (whether they wanted to or not).

Nope.

But seriously, someone kills someone and you want him paraded around as a hero? That doesn't make sense. I know he was acting in self-defense and so shouldn't be vilified, but he also shouldn't be made a hero.

Dragon said if we couldn't use self defense. If the man gets prosecuted then it'll mean that we'd have to use caution when using self defense. I mean, if someone breaks into your house at night and you have a weapon, say a sword next to you, you're not going to control your strikes. Also, most burglaries don't result in the death of the burglar.

The man saw the kid with the sword. And he attacked him. When the burglar did that he knew the kid wasn't thinking of any repercussions, he was just looking out for himself.

But the 20 year old man would probably have been more reluctant to defend himself had the law not been on his side, likely resulting in bad poop happening.


The law certainly isn't on his side. It's a sad fact of the world but the law is not on the person who acted in self-defense.
A friend of a friend of mine was walking down a dark street one night with his girlfriend. This guy was a smart, respectable guy with a gentle nature. Anyway, this night a guy comes up to him and tries to take his girlfriend from him forcefully. When the guy fails to give in the attacker starts hitting him so he threw a single punch and knocked the guy out. The attacker was down and had broken his jaw I think it was. Being the good person the guy was he called an ambulance, waited with him and went to the hospital to make sure he was alright.
In the end, the guy who acted in self-defense and then was nice enough to wait to make sure his attacker was ok was left with a compensation bill in excess of €30,000 and a court date.

[Eidolon]

The law certainly isn't on his side. It's a sad fact of the world but the law is not on the person who acted in self-defense.

It actually is. It's legal to kill someone in self defense if you think that your life is in danger, and clearly the intruder wanted to do some harm (there's no legitmate reason to be hiding in someone elses house at night).


A friend of a friend of mine was walking down a dark street one night with his girlfriend. This guy was a smart, respectable guy with a gentle nature. Anyway, this night a guy comes up to him and tries to take his girlfriend from him forcefully. When the guy fails to give in the attacker starts hitting him so he threw a single punch and knocked the guy out. The attacker was down and had broken his jaw I think it was. Being the good person the guy was he called an ambulance, waited with him and went to the hospital to make sure he was alright.
In the end, the guy who acted in self-defense and then was nice enough to wait to make sure his attacker was ok was left with a compensation bill in excess of €30,000 and a court date.


Cool story bro.

[Luisd.]

As I posted earlier, you can defend yourself, your property or another person, however you can only use as much force as absolutely necessary to achieve that.

Had this guy continued stabbing the burglar after he severed his hand or started beating the gut after he was subdued, it would have been considered excessive force and beyond the scope of self-defense.

As bad as it sounds, if someone breaks into your home and say you shoot them, your best bet is to fire the gun until it's empty. If you do a "one shot, one kill", it shows that you weren't panicking and able to maintain your composure enough to shoot a gun. It's a lot harder to convince a jury and a good prosecuting lawyer will make you look like a monster.

I wouldn't waste the clip. That's 15 shots if it was me I would want him bleeding on the ground but he's not worth that extra gun powder.:D

[Serisium]

I agree that he did right when he attack his wrist with the sword. Any strike to a non-vital part of the body would be good, and that's what he did.

Although, what happened after he partially severed his hand is where he made a bad choice. I assume that instead of immediately calling 911 for medical attention, he let the burglar bleed to death.

He isn't being prosecuted for swinging the sword at the man, but for letting him die of the injury.

[Eidolon]

I agree that he did right when he attack his wrist with the sword. Any strike to a non-vital part of the body would be good, and that's what he did.

Although, what happened after he partially severed his hand is where he made a bad choice. I assume that instead of immediately calling 911 for medical attention, he let the burglar bleed to death.

He isn't being prosecuted for swinging the sword at the man, but for letting him die of the injury.


Because it's completely within the possibilty of a scared human being to cut off a man's hand with a sword in the middle of the night, then call 911 immediately without harming him in any other way. I'd have my roommates and my health in a higher priority than the man who just broke into my home in the middle of the night.
It sounds to me like the bleed out from the hand would be what killed the man anyway. A wound that almost severs his hand would probably do more harm then the cuts to his chest unless the guy with the sword had a hell of a swing.

[I Faw Down]

I wouldn't waste the clip. That's 15 shots if it was me I would want him bleeding on the ground but he's not worth that extra gun powder.:D


Who the #### uses automatic rifles for home defense? All the bullets will go through your house, your neighbors house the house next to them, and the next house too...

You use shotguns, they are easier to hit something with, and they don't even come close to having as penetrating power.

And that comment about one shot means you took your time is absolutely idiotic.

Also, it's magazine, not clip...

[Scornic]

How long do you think it takes to bleed out from a severed hand when simply slitting your wrists can kill you? I bet even if he called right away the burglar would have died. Maybe if he tried to stop the bleeding and such, but then you're getting dangerously close to the man who just attacked you in your own home.

[I Faw Down]

How long do you think it takes to bleed out from a severed hand when simply slitting your wrists can kill you? I bet even if he called right away the burglar would have died. Maybe if he tried to stop the bleeding and such, but then you're getting dangerously close to the man who just attacked you in your own home.

But also the burglar would be dangerously close to the guy that just cut off his ####ing hand...

[HungryMonkey]

Who the #### uses automatic rifles for home defense? All the bullets will go through your house, your neighbors house the house next to them, and the next house too...

You use shotguns, they are easier to hit something with, and they don't even come close to having as penetrating power.

And that comment about one shot means you took your time is absolutely idiotic.

Also, it's magazine, not clip...

Yes, this, god every time I hear someone call a magazine a clip I cringe. I'm really sick of people who are completely ignorant of firearms and then try to talk about them like they know what they mean.

Now, onto the issue he here. If you've ever been in your house when its been broken into you'll know it's absolutely terrifying. You have no way of knowing whether or not the people entering your house have any intention of doing you harm, or whether or not they are armed (what kind of burglar with a gun holds it in their hand while they're stealing stuff anyway? you want to get stuff not creep around like a some movie villain). The kid was likely scared, and it sounds like he gave the guy a chance to leave his house and then the burglar did not comply, so he struck once with his sword. Judging from the wounds the robber either thought it was dull or was simply reacting naturally to the swing and raised his hand to shield himself from the slashed in the chest. The actions taken here are understandable and justifiable. Did the kid mean to kill him? Most likely not.

[RocketSoldier]

I think the bigger question is; why the #### does he have a samurai sword?

[swatdude]

And that comment about one shot means you took your time is absolutely idiotic.

He is putting into perspective of a prosecutor. Sure, you may not have took your time to aim and fire one shot kill, but knowing the lawyers, they can spin it to their advantage claiming that you in fact did.

[Zapurdead]

A friend of a friend of mine was walking down a dark street one night with his girlfriend. This guy was a smart, respectable guy with a gentle nature. Anyway, this night a guy comes up to him and tries to take his girlfriend from him forcefully. When the guy fails to give in the attacker starts hitting him so he threw a single punch and knocked the guy out. The attacker was down and had broken his jaw I think it was. Being the good person the guy was he called an ambulance, waited with him and went to the hospital to make sure he was alright.
In the end, the guy who acted in self-defense and then was nice enough to wait to make sure his attacker was ok was left with a compensation bill in excess of €30,000 and a court date.
Lesson learned: If you're gonna act in self-defense, kill the ####er.

[Eidolon]

Who the #### uses automatic rifles for home defense? All the bullets will go through your house, your neighbors house the house next to them, and the next house too...


My friend's dad is an EMT, and he told me a story where this actually happened. A man went to lock up one of his rifles, and was sliding it into the case and it went off. It went through his wall, into the next house, and into the head of his neighbor (who happened to be one of his friends).


tl;dr - That actually happened

[I Faw Down]

He is putting into perspective of a prosecutor. Sure, you may not have took your time to aim and fire one shot kill, but knowing the lawyers, they can spin it to their advantage claiming that you in fact did.

But if you fire multiple rounds out of a gun and all come in contact with the person, wouldn't it end up like that storekeeper who shot the guy more after he dropped? (In some other irrelevance thread I'm too lazy to dig up)

[Frigz]

He had a perfectly good reason for killing him. He had even broken in previously. By the way that's old NEWS, or at-least if you live in Maryland...

[I Faw Down]

He had a perfectly good reason for killing him. He had even broken in previously. By the way that's old NEWS, or at-least if you live in Maryland...

I do, I had no idea that this happened...

[swatdude]

But if you fire multiple rounds out of a gun and all come in contact with the person, wouldn't it end up like that storekeeper who shot the guy more after he dropped? (In some other irrelevance thread I'm too lazy to dig up)
I know which you were referring to. The case with the storekeeper was he disabled the robber the first shot. Time lapses, the robber is pretty much harmless, lying on the floor. The storekeeper then fire a few more into his gut.

The big difference is that the storekeeper was not acting out of panic after sending the robber to the ground. Legally, once the threat stop, you can do no more. In storekeeper's case, he kept going 10 seconds after gunning the robber the first time around.

The case Madchild is referring to is act of panic where you fire your weapon all at once, which can easily be defended as an act of self-defense. Now, gunning the downed robber after a period of time from the first couple of shots? Not so much.

[Frigz]

I do, I had no idea that this happened...

It was on the NEWS, I don't know how it wasn't on in Annapolis, usually there NEWS isn't too much different then Batimore County's. That's kinda weird.

[I Faw Down]

But what kind of weapon are you referring to? It's pretty hard/expensive for you to get your hands on an automatic weapon of any sort. And you wouldn't use it for home defense.

You'd use a semi automatic handgun, shotgun, or rifle. If it's a rifle, it'd probably be something like a Ruger 10/22 (a .22) with bird shot rounds (Specifically made for home defence). If you shoot them with anything, they'll probably drop in the first shot, and thats with any gun...

If you fire more than once, that means you've pulled the trigger more than once. The only time you'd pull the trigger more than once is if you either missed or he's still coming at you. Unless he's on, like pcp or something, 2 rounds that make contact are more than enough...

It was on the NEWS, I don't know how it wasn't on in Annapolis, usually there NEWS isn't too much different then Batimore County's. That's kinda weird.

We have the same news stations, I just don't pay attention. And nobody I know have talked about it...

[Eidolon]

You'd use a semi automatic handgun, shotgun, or rifle. If it's a rifle, it'd probably be something like a Ruger 10/22 (a .22) with bird shot rounds (Specifically made for home defence). If you shoot them with anything, they'll probably drop in the first shot, and thats with any gun...


Ruger P95 or Glock 17 would be ideal for this situation.

[swatdude]

If you fire more than once, that means you've pulled the trigger more than once. The only time you'd pull the trigger more than once is if you either missed or he's still coming at you. Unless he's on, like pcp or something, 2 rounds that make contact are more than enough...

Defense lawyer can use an act of panic to justify pulling the trigger more than once, but only under the ground of neutralizing the threat.

However, when you neutralize the threat and then come back around and neutralize the life or the body some more, then there is not much a defense lawyer can do. Unless, there is no evidence of any pause in between the shots, and the gun along with the wound is consistent with the story.

Sure, some of it seems bull####, but law is not always so kind to both the innocent and the guilty.

[I Faw Down]

Ruger P95 or Glock 17 would be ideal for this situation.

I wouldn't to trust a semi auto pistol for my own life/house. Though you can go with those, I'd much rather rely on a double action revolver (.357 or .45 probably) than them. No matter how small of a possibility it is that they can jam, they can. And I wouldn't want to risk that possibility. With a revolver, there are no feeding problems. And if there is a misfire, you just pull the trigger again...

[Eidolon]

I wouldn't to trust a semi auto pistol for my own life/house. Though you can go with those, I'd much rather rely on a double action revolver (.357 or .45 probably) than them. No matter how small of a possibility it is that they can jam, they can. And I wouldn't want to risk that possibility. With a revolver, there are no feeding problems. And if there is a misfire, you just pull the trigger again...

Ew revolvers.

[I Faw Down]

Ew revolvers.


Well, when your glock jams and the burglar stabs to in the eye, don't come dying home to me...

[swatdude]

Are you kidding Eidolon? Revolvers make you feel like a western badass.
I had a .45 Magnum revolver. Packed quite a punch


EDIT: V I didn't even read your post IFD until after I posted <.<

[I Faw Down]

Are you kidding Eidolon? Revolvers make you feel like a western badass.
I had a .45 Magnum revolver. Packed quite a punch

That wasn't my point...

[Eidolon]

Are you kidding Eidolon? Revolvers make you feel like a western badass.
I had a .45 Magnum revolver. Packed quite a punch

I'd only touch a revolver if it had a 2 foot long barrel. We've gone over this before.

[I Faw Down]

http://www.wyattearpbook.com/buntphoto.jpg

Half as long...

You'd have to talk to the Joker for anything longer...

[Eidolon]

You'd have to talk to the Joker for anything longer...

He's my normal vendor.

Also note that we've hijacked this thread and turned it into gun discussions somehow.

[I Faw Down]

He's my normal vendor.

Also note that we've hijacked this thread and turned it into gun discussions somehow.

Well, I was at first talking about self defense, until the whole "ew, revolvers"

So it's your fault...

[Sweet Cuppin' Cakes]

I luff my maggy. Also I know exactly what batman thingy you were talking about, weird.

On topic: Anything is legal, so long as you don't get caught.

[Eidolon]

I also take issue with the title "murder". People tend to not know that a murder requires a motive or planning ahead of times. This could by no sense be a murder.

[Helmic]

Nothing more than what you'd expect. As obvious as the case seems, the media is almost obligated to turn this into a drama. I doubt many people truly think the kid deserves any sort of punishment.

I feel sorry for the kid. I mean, there's that whole "I just killed a man" thing going through his head, and the world treats it as a joke. Not to mention the fact he may go to court over the ordeal.

[DarkReality]

People could probably make the argument "he should have tried harder not to kill him"

He cut his wrist with a katana. All analysis aside, it's kind of difficult to harm someone any less with a weapon like that. Apart from maybe cutting off their ear.

I find the comments that the burglar had it coming to be disgusting. Put yourself in his shoes. You just broke into someone's house and a 20 year old is standing infront of you with a katana:
a) Who the #### owns a katana anyway? People who use them. Weapon fanatics. For all the burglar knew, the kid would have attacked anyway.
b) Burglary is not punishable by death. Trying to steal something does not warrant your death, neither by "lawful" execution (and I cringe at that adjective) nor by self-defense. Never. He deserved a few broken bones, maybe, but not death. This teenager is not a hero. He committed justified manslaughter, that is not heroic. He definitely gets bonus points for not defending himself with a gun (in my book, at least), but that's about it.

But in all honesty, our gene pool is better off without someone who comes up with the brilliant idea of attacking someone holding a weapon designed for one-strike kills. That's just plain stupid. He'd have died sooner or later anyway with that intelligence. Something like trying to stop a truck going at 50 mph with his bare hands.

[Freddy]

Read the first post and most of the first page, don't care for any gun talk in the second.

-Obvious self defense case here. He got him on the wrist and technically what killed him was that the burglar bled out from it, not that the strike got any vital areas. If the kid did anything wrong is that he wasn't smart enough to call for a paramedic as well as the police after the incident. Perhaps an ambulance's sooner arrival would helped save the man's life (though I don't recall them mentioning when the ambulance got there anyway), but I really can't blame him too much for that.

The burglar well... he shouldn't be sneaking around into people's places and stealing stuff in the first place, but he's a burglar so we already know that thought was out of the question. However he should have expected something. Call it a hazardous work environment or something. Getting hurt, potentially killed, goes with the job. Odds are fairly low you'll get killed, but he should have known the possibility would be there by simply putting himself in the position of the person he's robbing from and assuming that person has a gun. I'm not saying he had it coming, so much as I'm saying this shouldn't have been unexpected.

[Trask]

Wow...a samurai sword, now that's badass. /Props

[poguemahon]

Well, a gun would've been quicker... But it's a case of self defense. The dude was attacked, and came out on top, and just so happened to use a shine stripe of steel to do the job. Unconventional, but it worked, that dude wont' break into anybody else's homes, now will he?

[Catalysm]

Nobody would try to break into his house ever again. He gets +10 respect from me for not using a firearm.

[Spectral D]

Why is it that people would be punished for defending themselves?

Here in Oregon, I learned about this Measure 11 program at school a few days ago which is extremely strict upon acts of violence towards other people. Like, assault 1 gets you 5 years by default. This even falls under the act of self-defense. I thought that was utterly ridiculous. I mean, there is a guy, who's intentions I am not sure of, in my house. What am I going to do? Obviously I would want him out of my house, but if he tries to harm me, I would retaliate back at him. Measure 11 says that if I were to do something like that, I'd get 5 years automatically.

Wonderful, I can no longer physically defend myself. Anyway, back on topic, I really don't think that the kid should be punished, it was an act of self-defense. He was obligated to defend his own self from harm. While I view the burglar being killed was a bit harsh, what are you going to do when there is a man who possibly wants to kill you?

[RaptorofDoom]

A samurai sword? That's the best self-defense mechanism I've ever heard of! :D