Woman fires at fleeing shoplifter, may face charges

Woman fires at fleeing shoplifter, may face charges



AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — A woman who has a concealed pistol license fired at a fleeing shoplifter earlier this week, but police said Wednesday that she was not being threatened when she decided to shoot at him multiple times in a parking lot.

The shooting happened around 2 p.m. ET Tuesday in a Home Depot lot as store security chased a shoplifter who jumped into a waiting sport utility vehicle that another suspect was driving, said Lt. Jill McDonnell, an Auburn Hills police spokeswoman.

“It’s my worst nightmare as a CPL instructor,” said owner Doreen Hankins of Detroit Arms, which offers Michigan concealed pistol license classes. “You have to know the entire situation before you pull that handgun out. And I don’t see that a shoplifter at Home Depot fills any of those criteria.”



My take:

It looks like somebody's been watching too many Charles Bronson movies. Even police officers can't shoot at somebody for theft.

There are so many armed activists who are itching to clean up the streets in their own Bernie Getz kind of way. I've talked to too many people who welcome a home intrusion just so they can shoot somebody.

This woman could have killed an innocent bystander. She could have killed the thief. She should never touch a gun again.

 

Dangerous and stupid!

 

When I was living in Houston, Texas in the mid seventies, an 8-year old-boy was shot and killed by a security guard as he ran out into the parking lot with a pack of meat hidden under his jacket. In another incident, a man shot from his apartment window, killing a would-be thief who was attempting to break into his car in the parking lot. Neither shooter was charged, but I hope the laws have changed since then.

While I support Second Amendment rights, I think that when incidents such as these happen, it is society's duty to pause and reflect on them, and consider whether actions could be taken to prevent recurrences. Ignoring a problem does not constitute a solution, and if we do nothing, we are all responsible for future bloodshed.

Several years ago, in Minnesota, a 90-year-old man shot a horse from under a woman riding it, and the judge ordered the man to pay for the horse and suspended his right to apply for a hunting license for two years. . . . I'm still trying to figure that one out.

 

Does this include letting people hazardously shoot their guns in crowded areas? The Second Amendment says that her right to have a gun shall not be infringed, so we have to let people like her walk around with a gun. I don't support that.

 

I am sure if this was the case more often, shoplifting would disappear as a crime.

 

I believe that all rights are privileges, and there must be consequences for exceeding acceptable parameters. If it becomes necessary, parameters should be adjusted.

 

Along with many billions of dollars in shopping. If we hung people for running stop signs and speeding we'd have much safer highways, less crowded too, but millions of people would stay home and not buy anything except when absolutely necessary, maybe not even then.

Similarly I am not going to go into any store where I can be killed if some Security Guard thinks I look suspicious

 

Because people go to stores to shoplift?

 

Amazing! You'll be one of the first to say "look how evil Islam is for chopping a hand off someone stealing food" (which does not actually happen) yet here you are condoning that shoplifters should be shot,

 

Thank you for your conjecture....

 

Its the one thing I can agree with when it comes to Islam. They sure have their punishments down=) It is an almost 100% cure for the problem isn't it. Can't steal anything if you don't have hands to pick it up. I'll give them that. Maybe take off the hands on the 3rd strike?

 

Sure ... why not. Lets just throw out the Rule of Law... perhaps you have you never heard that the punishment should fit the crime ? but hey .. who cares about that.

Why not also crucify folks for speaking out against the government like happens in Saudi Arabia ! If the Saudi's can do it why not here in the good ol USA ?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...crucified-Saudi-Arabia-taking-protest-17.html

 

She sounds like someone who has no business carrying a firearm if she thought that was a reasonable use of one. My bet is she'll end up in jail and unable to own firearms in the future. Very lucky she didn't kill someone, including the thief.

 

She's a "good guy" with a gun. Everyone with a gun seems to think they're the good guy. This is where gun absolutism breaks down because the gun advocates don't want the crazies to be armed and giving them a bad name. In other words, they support 'confiscation' more than they realize.

 

She's not a "good guy with a gun" if her intent was to fire on someone like that. She's also probably not crazy, but more likely totally unaware of her responsibilities as a gun owner and CCW holder (if she had one), use of a weapon for self defense, use of a weapon to protect others, etc. I think hers will be confiscated because she used it illegally, not because anyone advocates confiscation.

 

shoplifting is now becoming a thing of the past, all stores have camera's, those stupid enough to shoplift now get caught most of the time

 

Police evaluated this one and it seems they decided that the woman should be charged. That is how our system works...the cops on the scene tend to make the call.

I can tell you that many times---they call the other way. And in those cases and in cases like what was posted in the op....in my opinion the cops seem to make fair assessments.

There was a slew of violent and armed robberies in Tulsa. It seemed to be the same people doing these crimes.

One day they robbed a convenience store. They had guns, but the convenience store employee pulled his gun and shot two dead. The other two were found later.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crim...cle_5873d4a1-5fc3-5562-82a2-213a04ad7b5b.html

That guy was not charged and frankly I think the cops were relieved to get those dangerous criminals off the street.

So...it goes either way. But from what I see---most of conceal carry used in defense is considered legal.

 

No, shoplifting is not a thing of the past. There really aren't 100 people watching 100 cameras in WalMarts. Maybe one watching 100 cameras. It is more a matter of profiling behaviors and then watching a suspicious person. Less than perfect.. Most shoplifters do get away with it.

 

More details are needed. Was there an endangerment to her or others - or reason to believe there was.

For example, a person shot at a shoplifter who was driving crazily thru a crowded parking lot endangering those people. Was the shoplifter running away from her or towards her. It sounds cut and dried her action was not legal, but more specifics are needed to decide for specifics.

 

Exactly what popped into my mind as well.

Things should not be more valuable than a human life.

 

I would think that shooting someone would tend to make them drive "crazily".

An aside - I had a grocery store mgr tell me that 50% of grocery store shoppers steal something. I need to get busy doing my part.

I did shoplift once. About 1968. A package of baloney and Ban deo. The store mgr followed me, came around an aisle and asked me if there was something I wanted to tell him. I handed over my ill-gotten booty. (ill-booten-gotty?) and never did it again.

 

it's checking inventory then going back and looking at the history via the recorded video, you may not get caught on the spot, but you will get caught

 

Yep. A prime example of why we need gun control. Law abiding citizens when they are getting their permits will go loco under some set of facts.

 

The woman should definately be charged with reckless endangerment, and lose her CCW. She should serve time, and pay court costs.

 

I have far too much fear, as an adult, than to shoplift anything. I'm afraid of being embarrassed, humiliated, etc.

When I was about 7 or 8, I shoplifted some gum from Piggly Wiggly. My mom took me back to the store to return it. When I was in middle school, with a friend, we shoplifted some candy one time and didn't get caught. That's my criminal history.


As far as the gun issue: the woman who shot at a shoplifter should have her gun rights taken away. End of.