Exercising the Right
Wait for the Cops or DIY?
KSAT.com reported out of San Antonio on July 27 about a vehicular theft that ended in a fatal shooting of the thief. The incident unfolded after a male vehicle thief and a female accomplice stole a truck at a San Antonio mall. Shortly after the vehicle was stolen, the truck’s owner recognized his vehicle in a different part of the parking lot and saw the thieves sitting in it. The truck owner was armed, and pointed his handgun at both suspects, ordering them to exit the vehicle and get on the ground. The two suspects complied with his commands and sat on the ground while the truck owner dialed 911. The owner intended to detain them until the police arrived, but the male suspect pulled out his own firearm and shot at the truck owner, injuring him. The owner returned fire, mortally wounding the male suspect and critically injuring the female suspect.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus held a public press conference in which he explained what happened, and though he expressed reservations over the truck owner confronting the thieves on his own, he was adamant that the man acted lawfully and that the shooting was justified. “It’s certainly a case of self-defense,” McManus said. The truck’s owner was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment and is expected to be fine. Chief McManus did stress that, for their own safety, citizens should not directly confront thieves over stolen property. “We would prefer that [you] call the police before taking that into your own hands but he did what he felt that he needed to do” McManus explained.
The police chief’s advice makes sense. You might find yourself in a life-or-death situation trying to recover stolen property, and it would be safer to allow the police to handle it. Still, many people praised the truck owner for not allowing himself to be a victim. The story went viral on social media, and one Facebook user commented, “Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do when a [criminal] is stealing our hard-earned property? No sympathy for a thief here.” Another added, “[Two] less low life criminals to worry about on the streets.”
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