Police: Wal-Mart Customer Fatally Shoots Suspected Thief

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ORLANDO, Fla. — Feb 5, 2017, 10:34 AM ET


Police say a customer at a Wal-Mart store in Florida fatally shot a man who was among a group suspected of stealing two carts full of merchandise.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the shooting occurred Saturday after suspects left the store with stolen items.

Sheriff's Capt. A.L. Nieves says the men were loading the merchandise into a car when a worker and a customer who came to the employee's aid confronted them.

Nieves says the customer was armed and fired at a suspect, who he thought was going for a weapon. Nieves did not identify anyone involved.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-wal-mart-customer-fatally-shoots-suspected-thief-45280953

[cstanleytech]

1. I hope they got video of the shooting that shows the person actually reaching for something

otherwise this person needs to be charged with manslaughter at the very least.

[groundloop]

9. Don't forget that Florida has 'stand your ground'

All the vigilante needs to say is that he felt threatened and he gets off scott-free.

[cstanleytech]

11. Stand your ground has limits as Raul Rodriguez discovered when he tried that defense. nt

[Orrex]

13. If the dead man was black, then that's all the "felt threatened" that some people need

[ManiacJoe]

15. The "felt" has to meet the Reasonable Man definition.

Most people here really do not understand how the Stand Your Ground laws work.

Before one can claim SYG, one first has to rightly claim self defense.

[Nitram]

49. Stand your ground doesn't cover "shooting a shoplifter as he loads a car."

[Coventina]

2. Because a random vigilante gets to be judge, jury and executioner.

[HAB911]

32. DITTO. nt

[laserhaas]

47. Exactly!

[madaboutharry]

3. Shoplifting is not a Capital Crime.

I hope the shooter is charged, found guilty, and sentenced appropriately. People need to understand that vigilante justice is unacceptable.

[KittyWampus]

37. I thought that big box stores have stringent policies about confronting thieves- they fire people

who follow or confront suspected thieves.

I think both the customer and the employee and THE STORE itself may be liable.

[napi21]

4. Good that they stopped a thief, but if he nor the employee were in mortal danger, can he get away

with shooting someone? Doesn't someone have to rove the suspect really WAS trying to pull a gun?

[ManiacJoe]

18. The belief does not need to be accurate, just reasonable.

The "reasonable" definition for self defense is "ability, opportunity, jeopardy".

[napi21]

19. I just hate the idea that this shooter is going tto be the poster boy for the damn NRA!

I bet they make TV ads trying to prove how much better things would be if EVERYBODY was armed!

[Trust Buster]

5. Now we give citizens the benefit if the doubt with the "he was reaching for something" line ?

By virtue of the fact that he was intervening against 4 individuals, he approached knowing he couldn't watch 8 hands. A citizen was executed for petty theft.

[JI7]

6. a customer gOing to help ? everything about this seems wrong

If they were unloading things in the car why not take a pic of them the car etc. Write down license plate number.

[Marie Marie]

20. That would have been a better way to "shoot".

Camera's don't kill but they can provide evidence.

[JI7]

21. it just confirms my belief that many gun people WANT to have a chance to shoot someone

[Marie Marie]

23. I hear and second that!

Look at me - I'm a GOOD guy with a GUN stopping a bad guy who may (or NOT) be armed. Shoot first, ask questions later.

[raccoon]

30. ITA! Many of them are like that. They want to see themselves as the hero who shot somebody

whether he was a bad guy or not.

[HAB911]

33. wanna be cops/soldiers..........n/t

[rainy]

7. He's a murder. No ones life was in danger

from a shoplifter and the punishment is never execution!

[TalenaGor]

8. Other news sites are reporting that the merchandise was

baby diapers and baby toys.

[Ilsa]

10. They can make up any excuse to justify

Killing someone. I think a person could figure out a way to stage a murder with the looseness of these laws.

[Lucky Luciano]

12. What color was the killer and the victim.

I just want to get a clear idea how justice will be meted out.

[Kennah]

17. That, unfortunately, is the surest indicator (n/t)

[old guy]

14. Welcome to America,

of repubs, by repubs and for repubs. It's only going to get worse.

[Cryptoad]

16. never said it suspect was armed?????

[SunSeeker]

22. Why didn't this asshole just take down the license plate number and wait for the police?

Is it Walmart policy to prevent shoplifting using deadly force? Is a cart of cheap crap worth a human life?

[eppur_se_muova]

24. Because cheap crap from Wal-Mart is more than worth a human life ...

Pull out a phone/camera next time, gun-happy dickhead.

[christx30]

25. There's definately more to this story:

http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2017/2/4/deputies_respond_to_.html

Deputies said the vehicle the suspects used had previously been taken in a carjacking on Jan. 14.

Looks like the thieves could be bad guys beyond just this theft.

[Charles Bukowski]

26. Carjacking and shoplifting are not capital offenses.

[Judi Lynn]

27. You've got that right. Not by a long shot.

Racists wishing otherwise can't change the law, no matter how much "dirt" they attempt to dig up to justify the murder, not as long as there are enough people of conscience to weigh against them.

[christx30]

28. Innocent people are killed in carjacking.

It involves threatening people and usually involves holding a weapon in their faces.

And when are people going to stop the "is not a capital offense" line? Things that happen to you while you are committing a crime are not punishments. Running a red light is not a capital offense. Smashing into a 18-wheeler because you ran a red light is a possible natural result of you breaking that law.

[jpak]

29. Fuck racist bullshit.

yup

[Coventina]

39. Thank you!!!

Can't believe some of the crap that gets posted here sometimes.

"They were 'bad guys' who deserved it anyway."

[Bernardo de La Paz]

35. Your logic fails. Citizens are not empowered to execute people for running red lights

Not for carjacking and not for shoplifting.

Especially when they choose to get involved instead of calling police.

[Charles Bukowski]

36. Enough with the false equivalences.

Running a red light and smashing into an 18-wheeler is the natural result of breaking that law.

Getting shot while trying to carjack someone is the natural result of breaking THAT law.

Getting shot while loading shoplifted goods into a car? There's absolutely nothing natural about that.

[christx30]

38. But the fact that these are violent felons

makes me more apt believe the shooter when he says he thought he saw a gun.

[Coventina]

40. And you are one of the selected jury who heard all this evidence in court? eom

[rickford66]

41. At the time who knew they were violent felons ?

[christx30]

42. The shooter says he thought he saw gun, which is why he open fire.

Then, as it turned out, the car they were using was stolen in a carjacking. The logic is sound. The gun that the shooter thought he saw was probably the same one that they used in the carjacking. It's either in someone's possession, or they dumped it on the way to the hospital. But the gun does.
So no, the dead guy didn't get shot because he was shoplifting. He got shot because he pulled a weapon during the commission of a crime.

[rickford66]

43. My point was no one knew about the prior carjacking etc.

If it was known they were dangerous, the proper thing would have been to notify authorities. But, it wasn't know at the time they were dangerous. Whether the shoplifters deserved confrontation or not, more people were put in danger by the customers action.

[LanternWaste]

44. Because, and only because someone shot him.

"He got shot because..."

...Because, and only because someone shot him.

If you are going to play the logic card, at least adhere to it yourself as well, and avoid the post hoc ergo prompter hoc fallacies.

[Baconator]

46. Play stupid games... win stupid prizes...

[dembotoz]

31. Do hope the shooter gets to enjoy 3hots and a cot courtesy of the state of Florida

For a number of years

[HAB911]

34. Wal-Mart likes to use free security like vigilantes

and use cops on our dime

U.S. Senator calls on Walmart to review its security practices, expresses concern about police calls

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/us-senator-calls-on-walmart-to-review-its-security-practices-expresses/2280713

[hollowdweller]

45. This happened here too. The guy got off.

Shot him as he was running away. Most people don't think theft should be a capital offense, but most seemingly think if you get shot doing it it's ok.

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/News/201109192975

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

48. 19 year old thief was stealing diapers and other baby items.

Sounds like a young parent in need.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/02/05/Customer-shoots-kills-diaper-shoplifting-suspect-at-Orlando-Walmart/2451486318090/