Shooting in Houston by CHL holder

[nils]

Here's the article from the Houston Chronicle. It seems pretty justified to me.

Incident at strip club leads to shooting on Houston road
By ANITA HASSAN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 13, 2008, 8:37PM

--A man who had been arguing with two strip club employees is in critical condition after he was shot by an off-duty Harris County jailer whose girlfriend is one of the workers.

The shooting has been referred to a grand jury, authorities said Monday.

The man, a customer at the club early Sunday morning, began arguing with two female employees he believed stole his money, authorities said. Club security escorted him out. He called police and completed a report, authorities said, then waited outside the club for the women to leave.

The jailer arrived at the club and spoke with his girlfriend before leaving in his vehicle. The two women followed in another vehicle, and the customer followed them in his truck, authorities said.

As the drive headed south on the West Loop North near the Old Katy Road exit, the customer cut between the women's car and the jailer's car and suddenly stopped, authorities said.

The womens' car struck the customer's truck and the man then began accelerating toward the jailer's vehicle while yelling threatening remarks at him, authorities said. The man drove up next to the jailer.

He then stopped his truck in front of the Old Katy road exit, blocking the ramp. The customer exited his truck, still yelling, before he got back in, put the vehicle in reverse and struck the jailer's car, authorities said.

As the customer drove backward, the jailer, who had gotten out of his car, feared the man would run him over, authorities said. He fired at the truck several times, authorities said.

One of the bullets struck him in the head, authorities said. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital.

It is unknown if the jailer, who had a concealed handgun license, was injured.

[Originalist]

From the read I hope all goes well for the CHL, clearly he was being aggressed upon. Hopefully he will be no billed.

Bryan

[HighVelocity]

Do you think alchohol was involved?

[Greybeard]

Who wuz it said "Nuthin' good ever happens after midnight." ?

[longtooth]

I preached it Sunday & do often.

We are going thrugh the Proverbs.

[Keith B]

Who wuz it said "Nuthin' good ever happens after midnight." ?

I always said "Nuthin' good ever happens if you hang out in those kind of places and date strippers."

I too hope it is no-billed. I am sure there is more to it, but sounds like the guy was justified from the story.

[The Annoyed Man]

I fully realize that I'm being a bit judgmental here, but it is my opinion that, were his girlfriend not working in a strip club, and were he not there, the shooter would not have had to shoot the guy.

Now, on one level, you could say "of course, yah big dummy!" because it's obvious that if you're not where the violence is happening, then you don't need to defend yourself. But I'm speaking to the larger issue of what kinds of places one is more likely to encounter violence than in others. My guess is that, on a percentage basis, a whole lot more shootings and stabbings occur in the parking lots of, or among the patrons and employees of, strip clubs, than say... ...dinner theaters. In other words, if you work in a strip club, or hang out in one, you're placing yourself in a situation where there is a higher chance of a violent encounter than you would find in a less sexually charged and alcohol fueled environment.

Granted, we all ought to be able to hang out wherever we want to without having to fear an increased chance of violence, but that is not the real world; and in the real world, wisdom dictates avoiding those places unless we have no other choices in life. So, while the shooting was certainly legit, the girlfriend's decision to work in a strip club, and the boyfriend's decision to hang out there, are on the face of it very unwise. Maybe she would be better advised to get a job at a Walmart or something?

That's just my 2¢... ...and I hope he gets no-billed.

[portsider44]

Who wuz it said "Nuthin' good ever happens after midnight." ?

I think this is in the parents handbook. As a rowdy teenager I thought my parents were over protective. Now as a father I understand & have been know to repeat the phrase many times. Funny when my kids roll their eyes at me its like looking back in time.

[barres]

the boyfriend's decision to hang out there,

Maybe I'm misreading the article, but it sounded to me like the boyfriend wasn't "hanging out" there, but came to escort the GF home.

[Excaliber]

Maybe she would be better advised to get a job at a Walmart or something?

The 4 digit pay differential between a strip club and WalMart may have something to do with her decision to accept additional risk.

[agbullet2k1]

I always get a little irked by people who claim that anyone out past midnight is setting themselves up for trouble. I have a job that requires me to work afternoon/nights until 1:00am one week out of every three. I work as an engineer in the aerospace field, so one could claim it's not the same as working at a strip club, but as I drive home on those nights, I pass at least a dozen bars as their patrons are leaving (some of whom are probably too drunk to drive). If I were ever to be involved in an accident involving a drunk driver, or were to be confronted at a red light by some rowdy bar patrons, are the same people going to say that I should have found a job that didn't put me in that situation? Are they going to say I was asking for trouble by being an engineer driving home late from work? The pay is excellent, the work is fun, it's close to home, and I don't have to worry about my job status over the coming few years, so I'll take the added "risk" associated with it.

It's very dangerous to say that people set themselves up and deserve what they get. Using that line of thinking, it's easy to say that all those folks in Galveston who lost their homes (God help them) were just asking for it by living so close to the water. I'm certainly not endorsing her career choice, but I'm not going to judge her, because I don't know her (plus, that job's above my paygrade).

[Keith B]

I always get a little irked by people who claim that anyone out past midnight is setting themselves up for trouble. I have a job that requires me to work afternoon/nights until 1:00am one week out of every three. I work as an engineer in the aerospace field, so one could claim it's not the same as working at a strip club, but as I drive home on those nights, I pass at least a dozen bars as their patrons are leaving (some of whom are probably too drunk to drive). If I were ever to be involved in an accident involving a drunk driver, or were to be confronted at a red light by some rowdy bar patrons, are the same people going to say that I should have found a job that didn't put me in that situation? Are they going to say I was asking for trouble by being an engineer driving home late from work? The pay is excellent, the work is fun, it's close to home, and I don't have to worry about my job status over the coming few years, so I'll take the added "risk" associated with it.

It's very dangerous to say that people set themselves up and deserve what they get. Using that line of thinking, it's easy to say that all those folks in Galveston who lost their homes (God help them) were just asking for it by living so close to the water. I'm certainly not endorsing her career choice, but I'm not going to judge her, because I don't know her (plus, that job's above my paygrade).

I don't think you get the drift. No one is chastising anyone for having a 'valid' reason for being out after midnight, many jobs require it (LEO, nursing, engineers, utility workers, etc.) You are there because you have to be. Believe me, when I ran a team of Senior Data Managers and we upgraded network elements and servers during maintenance windows (midnight - 6AM) there were plenty of times I was out for a legit reason. But, I did see many more undesirables than when I worked days. Drunk drivers, robberies, etc. are all more prevalent after midnight than before. The inherent risks associated with the time frame you are traveling are greater, that's just part of it.

I don't think folks are berating you for your chosen hours, just stating that you are at greater risk. So, your choice to carry is a valid one due to the requirements of your job. :thumbs:

[agbullet2k1]

I don't think folks are berating you for your chosen hours, just stating that you are at greater risk. So, your choice to carry is a valid one due to the requirements of your job. :thumbs:

Unfortunately I don't get to carry at work, but my wife does, so if we meet up after work, at least one of us has something.

I'll agree that no one here meant anything about me personally, and I'll concede that statistics show post-midnight to be riskier than daylight, but I guess I hear it so much from new people I meet that I read it the wrong way. Here's to us night owls.

[QCharlot]

Thanks

[fickman]

Sounds like you did everything right.

I might recommend removing the details until after your hearing is complete. . . unless, of course, you are working with an attorney who approved you publicly telling your story. Probably nothing could ever come of it, but you just never know in our quirky justice system (which you experience on a daily basis).

I would definitely recommend you have some sort of legal representation beyond your professional association counsel. I am speaking from the experience of a close relative of mine. Make sure your attorney presents your side at the Grand Jury trial if they have one. . . don't let the DA have the lone voice.

I am not a lawyer. . . so filter anything I say through yours. I'm glad you and your friends are safe.