Drawing your gun, possibly shoot, based on verbal threats?

[mythaeus]

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pag...Y&pageId=3.2.1

According to the story, the robber threatened to shoot the customers. If you were in line and heard the threat, would/should draw and fire? Assuming that you killed the robber, truly for fear of your life, without seeing a gun, how severe are the legal consequences?

Al

[LorDiego01]

If you were in line and heard the threat, would/should draw and fire?

No/Hell no.

Assuming that you killed the robber, truly for fear of your life, without seeing a gun,

You'd be branded a cold-blooded killer, or a wild-wild-west cowboy wanna be. The media and anti-gun propaganda would have a field day on you.

how severe are the legal consequences?

Extreme. You'd lose everything you have and possibly spend the rest of your life in jail.

[JCWohlschlag]

Three things are needed to qualify as a justified self-defense shooting: ability, opportunity, and jeopardy. Going backwards:

• Jeopardy (also known as Intent): The guy said he was going to shoot you. This one is pretty easy.
• Opportunity: The guy is there in the same room with you, next to you even, so this works.
• Ability: This is where it gets sketchy. Does the robber actually have a deadly weapon? Is there some sort of disparity of force?

[mythaeus]

No/Hell no.



You'd be branded a cold-blooded killer, or a wild-wild-west cowboy wanna be. The media and anti-gun propaganda would have a field day on you.



Extreme. You'd lose everything you have and possibly spend the rest of your life in jail.

Thanks for your input Diego.

Al

[mythaeus]

Three things are needed to qualify as a justified self-defense shooting: ability, opportunity, and jeopardy. Going backwards:

• Jeopardy (also known as Intent): The guy said he was going to shoot you. This one is pretty easy.
• Opportunity: The guy is there in the same room with you, next to you even, so this works.
• Ability: This is where it gets sketchy. Does the robber actually have a deadly weapon? Is there some sort of disparity of force?

The clerk believed him and handed over the money. Reviewing the videotapes, the police stated that they believed that he did have a gun and was willing to use it.

Al

[NY Refugee]

Allot would depend on the situation. What is going on? what is the person wearing?(does he have the ability to hide a gun and get to it before I get to mine). Where are his hands, in his pocket possibly holding a gun or are they visible. We can go on and on and no 2 situations would be the same.
These what if scenarios are almost impossible to answer.

[mythaeus]

Allot would depend on the situation. What is going on? what is the person wearing?(does he have the ability to hide a gun and get to it before I get to mine). Where are his hands, in his pocket possibly holding a gun or are they visible. We can go on and on and no 2 situations would be the same.
These what if scenarios are almost impossible to answer.

The only what if in the scenario is that you were there, carrying, and heard the threat. Everything else in the story remains as reported. My questions are based on the media-reported "facts" of the story, no more, no less.

Al

[autotech6506]

If you don't see a gun don't draw. Only when you see that gun pointing in your general direction do you draw/shoot. If you want to be a hero you could draw and put your gun in his back and that might make him stop what he is doing and give up. But if he doens't stop and you shoot him YOU will be the aggressor in the court of law.

short story, don't shoot unless you are directly threaten with a gun (that you can see) and have no other options.

I AM NOT A LAWYER FYI

[moose]

Heh, that is kinda scary to me, since I am in that wawa sometimes...

If I were there, my actions would depend on what I noticed and what I heard. If I heard everything, then I would most definitely be on high alert, and ready to go if need be. It would be hard to say if I would pull my gun or not, because if I did draw, there is no telling if I would have a shot since there is a very high chance of having people in every background scenario. I agree with others that it would be unwise to shoot unless you actually saw the gun, or believed with out a doubt that the man did in fact have a gun on him.

I'll have to remember to warn my buddies about this.

[ironcowboy]

If you don't see a gun don't draw. Only when you see that gun pointing in your general direction do you draw/shoot. If you want to be a hero you could draw and put your gun in his back and that might make him stop what he is doing and give up. But if he doens't stop and you shoot him YOU will be the aggressor in the court of law.

short story, don't shoot unless you are directly threaten with a gun (that you can see) and have no other options.

I AM NOT A LAWYER FYI

So if he's pointing it at the clerk, or the old lady in line, you just stand there? What has our world came to.
Also, why would you put your gun in his back if you did draw it? The entire benefit of a gun is that it can kill at a distance, if you stand next to the guy you take that away and might as well have a knife...
If he said he had a gun, depending on the situation i would draw and order him on the ground, if he did not comply and started reaching for something, bang...
just my 2 cents...