I can see both sides of this, but I wish this law didn't exist. It opens the door for people to just fire at will and kill people, then say they felt threatened when they actually weren't in any danger.
The victim went too far, he was in the wrong, he parked in a handicap spot (yes, it was the victim that parked there, not the gf) and violently shoved a guy who was calling them out. He should have handled that situation differently, but the old man didn't have to shoot him. All he had to do was pull the gun out and aim it. But no, everyone feels like they need to live by the "don't draw it unless you intend to use it" rule. I disagree with that thought.
One other thing I found when I read a different story about this. This wasn't that guys first time hasseling someone about that very parking spot and it's at least the third time he flashed the gun in a threatening manner. He seems to get off on having that gun. He needs to be evaluated, seems to me he thinks he's a local Dirty Harry.
Bottom line, this law needs to go, the way it is now, it's too easy to justify just about any shooting/killing. But it definitely should make everyone think twice before they roll up their sleeves and decide to square up with someone.
On the flip side, I wouldn't want to be a shooter in this scenario. The last thing I want to do is put my fate in the hands of attorney's, judges, a jury and lawmakers. That law can be interpreted many different ways and my tight butt has no business being in prison, it wouldn't survive.
But this is a tough one for me,
@Kevin Bryan makes a strong argument for the shooter, but I'm going to say the shooter was in the wrong. He went too far. He definitely saw everyone back off as soon as he pulled the gun (heck, the other guy that walked out of the store bolted as soon as he saw the gun). It was over at that point, but he decided to fire anyway. IMO, that was not a justified shooting, but I can see why someone would have the opposite opinion.
PS: I can only post once a week, so I won't be able to respond to anyone for a while. If I do respond, I'll edit this post and tag the person I'm responding to.
@Kevin Bryan @brooky03 @MileHighSpartan
Here is a quote from the other article I found about this incident:
"Another Circle A customer, Rick Kelly, told
NBC affiliate WFLA that he encountered Drejka in a similar situation a couple of months ago. Kelly said he had pulled into that same handicap spot and Drejka began inspecting his decals to see if he had the right to be there. The situation escalated.
"He was basically threatening to shoot me that day," Kelly said.
And in 2012, Tyler Smith, 18, accused a driver later identified as Drejka of hanging a gun outside of his truck window during a road rage incident in Palm Harbor, northwest of Tampa, according to law enforcement documents obtained by NBC News.
Smith, whose account was corroborated by his passenger, told a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy that Drejka began yelling and honking at him when he stopped at a yellow traffic light, the documents say.
Smith said Drejka then dangled a black handgun from his driver’s side window and placed two magazines on his truck’s dashboard. After Drejka followed the car, the passenger told the deputy, Smith called the sheriff’s office to report him — though he didn’t want to press charges, according to the documents.
During an interview with deputies, Drejka said he’d yelled at Smith and honked his horn after the car cut him off, the documents say. Drejka denied following the vehicle or displaying a Glock that he kept in his truck’s center console.
No charges were filed in the case and the documents say Drejka’s concealed weapon’s license was valid."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna893646
That guy needs to lose his gun carrying privileges.