Holy Crap on a Cracker!

[Glocktogo]

This is a primer on exactly how NOT to defend your home! I thought I'd heard it all, but this goes beyond the pale!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/minnesota-man-shot-burglars-fired-shots-needed/story?id=17813093

A Minnesota man who allegedly killed two suspected burglars Thanksgiving Day and kept their bodies in his home overnight before reporting the deaths to police said he fired "more shots than I needed," according to a criminal complaint.

Byron David Smith, 64, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder today for the shooting deaths of Haile Kifer, 18, and Nicholas Brady, 17. Smith appeared at a preliminary hearing in court today but did not enter a plea.

The Little Falls man is being held on $2 million bail and his attorney, Gregory Larson, did not respond to a request for comment.

Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel said "a person has every right to defend themselves and their homes, even employing deadly force if necessary."

In this case, however, authorities said they believe Smith crossed the line.

Smith told police he was sitting in his basement Nov. 22 -- Thanksgiving Day -- when he heard a window break upstairs and then footsteps, according to the complaint.

He first saw the feet, then the legs, then the hips of the intruder. Smith said he believed he fired twice at Brady with a Ruger Mini-14 rifle, causing the teen to tumble down the stairs, according to the complaint.

Smith then dragged the body on a tarp to his basement workshop. Several minutes later, he told police, he heard more footsteps and waited until he saw Kifer's hips as she descended the staircase.

"After shooting the person, she tumbled down the steps," according to the complaint. "Smith stated that he tried to shoot her again with the Mini-14 but the gun jammed."

At this point, he told police, Kifer laughed at him, describing it as a short laugh because she was in pain. But he said it "made him upset," the complaint said.

"If you're trying to shoot somebody and they laugh at you, you go again," he told police, according to the complaint.

As Kifer gasped for air, Smith dragged her body next to Brady's, according to the complaint, and placed a handgun under her chin and fired what he told police was a "good clean finishing shot" that went "under her chin up into the cranium."

Neither of the teens had a weapon, but Smith told police he was afraid and had been burglarized in the past, according to the complaint.

Police said Smith called neighbors Friday, asking if they knew any lawyers. When the neighbors said they did not, Smith asked them to call authorities, according to the complaint.

Police responded to the call Friday and Smith led them to the teens' bodies.

 

[KOPBET]

I'm wonder if he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't "turn"

 

[okiebryan]

That guy sure makes Ersland look good.

 

[SMS]

Holy crap....I don't think even this crew can disagree on this one. Dude needs to go the nuthouse/jail/electric chair.

 

[abajaj11]

Hmmm...so of all the THOUSANDS of legitimate self defense stories that happen every year involving guns (most without a shot being fired), ABC news picks the most poorly handled ones. Wonder what they are trying to show....that gun owners are an irresponsible, unstable bunch who should leave their self defense to the "professionals"? They could have picked any story they wanted, but they deliberately pick this guy that shows folks who use firearms for defense in a bad light? Perhaps a prelude to attacking that crazy "castle doctrine" law"?

I can't help comparing this to another case in recent memory, where the liberal media tried to attack the crazy "stand your ground" law.
Earlier case as portrayed by media: Minority teenager, unarmed, going to buy himself an iced tea, gets caught in the wrong neighborhood by a wanna be vigilante with a gun who kills him. Unfortunately, the vigilante turns out to be a hispanic, so is portrayed as a "white hispanic" to make the narrative fit a little bit more with what media wants. Only pictures of teen shown are when he was around 11 - 12 years old, not the strapping man he was on the day of the shooting. Reality: teen is in trouble for dealing drugs, is violent and attacks the hispanic dude repeatedly.

This case is even better for the liberal media. Here we have a legitimate psycho who is caucasian...so no dancing around here with phrases like "white hispanic". All we have to do is show his picture! Here we have 2 UNARMED teens, including a GIRL. Perhaps they were just out to find a quiet place to make out on Thanksgiving? And we have this nut job buffalo-bill serial killer type who has two evil weapons: a semi - automatic assault rifle AND a handgun.
His attorney will perhaps uses some variant of the insane "castle doctrine" which will then be shown for the crazy law it is.

Call me paranoid, but is there a pattern in the stories the media chooses or is TOLD to cover? to fit a narrative perhaps?

 

[okiebryan]

Hmmm...so of all the THOUSANDS of legitimate self defense stories that happen every year involving guns (most without a shot being fired), ABC news picks the most poorly handled ones. Wonder what they are trying to show....that gun owners are an irresponsible, unstable bunch who should leave their self defense to the "professionals"?

I don't think this guy needs any help from ABC.

 

[shooterdave]

He was just being humane.... "a good, clean finishing shot". Wow.

 

[Shootin 4 Fun]

As sickening as this story is, there is something that we can all learn from it.....Never trust your life to a Mini.

"Smith stated that he tried to shoot her again with the Mini-14 but the gun jammed."

 

[ripnbst]

As sickening as this story is, there is something that we can all learn from it.....Never trust your life to a Mini.

Another tick in the column for the AR-15 crowd.

To get serious, this guy was messed up. I doubt highly the girl was laughing at him, more probably gasping for air or some other noise while clinging to life that this psycho interpreted as a laugh.

To shoot someone from across the room or even at combatives distance with a person who is fighting you is one thing but to put the muzzle of a gun under someone's chin and blow their brains out is friggin' sick. Absolutely sick.

 

[waltham41]

On the other hand, if more crooks knew there were people like this guy in the house they are thinking of breaking into, they may just consider a different line of work. Just saying.