Corpus Christi: Home invader shot by homeowner

[seamusTX]

In Corpus Christi early Sunday morning a homeowner was awakened by his dogs and found a man breaking in.

The homeowner called police, who responded quickly. While police were ordering the suspect to stop, he continued to break in. The homeowner fatally shot the suspect.

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/14692835/te ... nto-a-home" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Note that the newspaper calls the 18-year-old suspect a "teen."

Later a different TV station sent a reporter to the neighborhood to try to find outraged neighbors. He couldn't.

"'I probably would have done the same thing,' said [a neighbor].
"Other neighbors we spoke with had similar feelings on the matter,..."

http://www.kztv10.com/news/neighbors-sp ... -shooting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Lonest4r]

What terrible journalism. The whole story is tainted with the stench of biased opinion.

[philip964]

Your a teen until your 20th birthday.

[karl]

18 year olds are also adults. I think Jim is noting the sympathy card being played in the article, trying to make the criminal the victim.

[OldCurlyWolf]

What terrible journalism. The whole story is tainted with the stench of biased opinion.

Yes it is and so is this statement:

"Police say the shooting is still under investigation and it's too early to determine if the homeowner will face any charges."

Under Texas law, especially with the police observing the break-in, there should be absolutely NO question of any charges ever being brought against the homeowner. It isn't going to happen unless we have an extremely stupid DA in CC.

[C-dub]

The police probably think that since they were there the homeowner shouldn't have done anything. That will probably be the view of many anti-gun folks.

[seamusTX]

18 year olds are also adults. I think Jim is noting the sympathy card being played in the article, trying to make the criminal the victim.

That's what I meant.

Words like teen and adolescent contain a built-in bias that we have become accustomed to. (The same goes for calling college students or military personnel kids when they are up to 30 years old.) I wonder if the people who wrote these articles even are aware of the issue.

There's a world of difference between a 13-year-old 8th grader and an 18 or 19-year-old who may already be a convicted felon, gang member, and physically intimidating.

- Jim

[paulhailes]

The way I look at it is, if he continued to break in after the police arrived then he was there to do more than just rob you.

[seamusTX]

Yeah. He could have intended to take the residents hostage. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.

Other explanations are that he was deaf, brain-damaged, mentally ill, or intoxicated. Certainly the homeowner didn't have the luxury of waiting to see what might happen.

P.S.: Classify calling criminals youths (or yutes) along with teen and kid. It's a linguistic dodge to avoid assigning blame.

- Jim