Veteran arrested for warning shot
ROS sends us a link to an article from Medford, OR about 36 year-old Corey Thompson, purportedly a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, who fired a warning shot at a wanted felon, 40 year-old Jonathon Kinsella, who was breaking into Thompson’s home and was subsequently arrested;
Thompson says he grabbed his AR-15 assault rifle and told Kinsella to stop near his back door.
“When I’m dealt with a stressful situation, being a veteran from Iraq and the Afghanistan war, it’s natural. I just jump into combat mode. I told him I’m going to give you a warning shot,” said Thompson.
But police say that was not the right move.
“There was nothing that the suspect was doing that was aggressive enough to justify the shooting. In fact, the suspect was walking away,” said Medford Police Lt. Mike Budreau.
Thompson was charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing and Reckless Endangering.
So, I guess that Thompson learned his lesson. Next time he should just drill the criminal and not waste his ammo on warning shots. It’s interesting that the article doesn’t mention the fate of the fleeing felon.
2 in the chest and 1 in the head is all the warning the guy needed.
@51: Also known as USMC diplomacy!
Not to change the subject, but; did anyone else think that the reporter in the video is really hot???
At Old Trooper … No shit!
She could have been talking about monkeys on fire flying out of butt holes all over Kentucky … and I would have just said, “great reporting!”
After shooting someone who is in your house illegally, the first call is to the hospital to send an ambulance. The relieves all doubt that you didnt do this maliciously(whether you did or not) They can not argue in court malice if you tried to show care/concern/proper SABC(minus the buddy of course) to the injured assailant. Warning shots are quite pointless, and dead people who enter your house to rob you, can not testify in court.
Cheers,
MSG Cameron Williamson
In the lower levels of Hell, Satan is high-fiving Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
Remember: Blue States are anti-America.
@53. My first thought was, “Man, she’s pretty.” My second thought was, “Man, I’m hungry.” I got the food.
I’m curious about the whole “combat mode” thing since in none of my deployments to OIF or OEF were warning shots authorized. To make it a point of discussion in an interview really isn’t sitting right with me, especially with his justification of “when I get in stressful situations.” It just doesn’t make sense to me for this guy to say “I’m nervous and in combat mode” and also take the time to give a verbal warning then a warning shot. He should have just left the whole “combat” part out of the discussion. Soldiers have been reprimanded for firing warning shots in combat.
I’ve been on the receiving end of wild Iraqi rifle fire (damned soccer games) and I can see where a warning shot could be considered reckless endangerment. I still get upset whenever I hear someone pop off during the 4th of July.
Some of the other news sites are reporting things a little differently from each other, but a few are saying his warning shot is what scared the guy off. A couple of them argue that his options were either fire a warning or shoot to kill. Several states don’t consider home defense valid until they’re inside (especially since this was an apartment and not a house). While I can appreciate his not wanting to kill another person unless necessary, that bullet could have done a number of things after it hit the ground.
@48, you are absolutely correct. That was an over sight on my part. That’s a critical distinction.
What never fail to fuckin fascinate me is how we law abiding citizens, many of us Vets, have to walk on eggshells and strain our poor grunt brains to try and interpret how to deal with these lowlifes so as not to upset the lawyers and politicians. Oh, for a simpler time.
This was going around the office at DHS. He did wrong, but the focus should’ve been on that shit head felon. Fuck Oregon.
Never having been faced with the situation, it’s hard to say what I might actually do, but in the past when I’ve been concerned about someone possibly breaking in, I’ve never actually considered warning someone off, I’ve always planned to just set up concealed to the possible point of entry and prepared to just drop whoever breaks in once I’ve satisfied myself they aren’t a member of the family. I don’t really think the guy should be in trouble for what he did, but my personal feeling is that I wouldn’t waste a shot and give away my position in the process. Just my opinion anyway.