• 65 years old knocked off his bicycle by three kids. Results? One dead, one wounded, one in jail
    566 replies, posted
I doubt the guy had a lot of time to think through if the people that are beating him up are under or over 18.
[QUOTE=Scot;38167787]So some old man's belongings are worth more than a kid's life. Sure.[/QUOTE] Because the kid didn't have a choice to try and rob someone. I'm not saying it's entirely justified, I'm just saying it's kind of the kids' fault
[QUOTE]police said the boys knocked the man off his bicycle in an apparent robbery attempt[/QUOTE] [QUOTE] the teens knocked him to the ground[/QUOTE] [QUOTE] two teens then assaulted the man, who drew his gun and shot them.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]The man was released by police[/QUOTE] For those of you unable to read the OP: He shot the kids in self defense, and then was released by the police because he did nothing illegal. Yes, it is bad that some one died, but the man did nothing wrong and we should not chastise him for his actions.
[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;38167753]And?[/QUOTE] They attacked him so he retaliated.
[QUOTE=Rapist;38167738]Fucking hell. You don't kill people for pushing you off a bike.[/QUOTE] You do if you're an old man, (who happens to be armed), surrounded my a group of young men possibly trying to kill you.
snip posted this with only reading the summary the op supplied before he edited in the full article
[QUOTE=Justin Case;38167749]I know we don't have all the facts but could he not have just given one of them a non-lethal shot so they'd leave him? Doesn't sound like they even had a knife or anything... I'm not siding with the little pricks, I just think the death of a 16 year old could have been avoided.[/QUOTE] Yeah, you're down on the ground, being beaten by three people - first thing you do is steady your aim for a careful shot to the leg.
its like this thread is in a far-flung dystopia where killing kids for pushing you off of a bike is a-ok
[QUOTE=Scot;38167787]So some old man's belongings are worth more than a kid's life. Sure.[/QUOTE] Fuck them, if you are willing to do something incredibly stupid then you better prepare for the consequences of what may happen to you. Plus they could have killed him in the process too. Getting mugged by a group of people sucks and just because they are "children" doesn't mean they weren't also capable of killing him too.
[QUOTE=Scot;38167787]So some old man's belongings are worth more than a kid's life. Sure.[/QUOTE] Yeah but what about those Ukraine teen maniac killers? People probably thought they were getting mugged or robbed but they just got killed.
You get hurt at 65 years old, chances are you're spending a long time in the hospital.
[QUOTE=KillerTele;38167816]They attacked him so he retaliated.[/QUOTE] I'm not condemning that, I just find it kind of weird how condemning the fact that he killed someone (albeit in self defense) is apparently an amazing thing that we should praise.
How is this good? All he had to do was whip out his gun and point it in their faces a bit and they'd fuck off.
If I was a 65 year old guy who got knocked off his bicycle by three young teenagers (and at 16 and 15, they're not exactly [I]kids.[/I] At 16, they can be pretty big), then attacked? I'd be scared for my life and most likely resort to the same force. The kids were in the wrong for attacking him. Sure, the price they paid was high, but don't attempt shit like that because the worst can always happen.
[QUOTE=Bobie;38167846]its like this thread is in a far-flung dystopia where killing kids for pushing you off of a bike is a-ok[/QUOTE] Why are you all being so fucking naive? You're riding your bike and three guys take you down and start beating you up. You have a gun on you - what the fuck do you do?
We do not know if he shot to kill or was trying to shoot to wound. Either way its another reason why you should not just rob people, you never know if they have a weapon. But you never know if the person doing the robbing has a weapon either.
[QUOTE=Stopper;38167842]Yeah, you're down on the ground, being beaten by three people - first thing you do is steady your aim for a careful shot to the leg.[/QUOTE] I managed to completely overlook the fact he'd just fallen off a bike, alright fair point.
According to some of us, it's better to be robbed, beaten and then do nothing about it but report it to the police after than it is to defend yourself. Ok.
[QUOTE=Bobie;38167846]its like this thread is in a far-flung dystopia where killing kids for pushing you off of a bike is a-ok[/QUOTE] [quote=The Article]two teens then assaulted the man, who drew his gun and shot them.[/quote] Is reading hard for you?
[QUOTE=assassin_Raptor;38167940]We do not know if he shot to kill or was trying to shoot to wound. Either way its another reason why you should not just rob people, you never know if they have a weapon. But you never know if the person doing the robbing has a weapon either.[/QUOTE] And taking that into account, shooting rather than waving it to threaten them is definitely the smarter move. Just a shame that it had to end up with someone getting killed.
I think old men should be able to just kill all the teenagers they want. They can then rule the world.
This is getting winners? What the fuck? They were pricks, but he had NO reason to KILL a kid because of it.
[QUOTE=Stopper;38167904]Why are you all being so fucking naive? You're riding your bike and three guys take you down and start beating you up. You have a gun on you - what the fuck do you do?[/QUOTE] ok where did you get 'they started beating him up' from. the only word i see that would even hint that is 'assault' - and that can mean lots of things. the guy didn't leave with any injury whatsoever, and from the article, he drew his gun -without warning- and fired off shots. sounds like a bunch of bullies who picked on a crazed gunman, there is [I]no[/I] justification for what he did. not to mention he could've fired off one shot. he fired off multiple, and we all know it was to seriously injure them, not to disable them.
[QUOTE=Disotrtion;38167890]You get hurt at 65 years old, chances are you're spending a long time in the hospital.[/QUOTE] And possible death, bones are brittle and weak, muscles are not as strong, everything about you is crap.
the kids were 16, that's old enough to be tried as an adult. don't go around crying "wahhh think of the children, how could this happen to a child?" because it's not an innocent little 7 year old. it says very clearly in the story that he was knocked off and [b]then assaulted[/b] it's not like he drew his gun because he fell over edit: ahem, direct definition of assault [quote]1. The apparent, present ability to carry out; 2. An unlawful attempt; 3. To commit a violent injury; 4. Upon another.[/quote]
[QUOTE=Rapist;38167738]Fucking hell. You don't kill people for pushing you off a bike.[/QUOTE] Good thing that's not why he shot them
[QUOTE=assassin_Raptor;38167940]We do not know if he shot to kill or was trying to shoot to wound. Either way its another reason why you should not just rob people, you never know if they have a weapon. But you never know if the person doing the robbing has a weapon either.[/QUOTE] That plus, to add you never also know the mentality of the man you are attacking, or what they are capable of. You could attack an unarmed man that looks like a cancer patient, but snaps your arm in half and cracks 6 ribs in a single punch. They could also be completely insane and want a reason to hurt someone (not saying this guy was either). Easily a good reason not to be a dick and rob people.
[QUOTE=ryfry99;38167833]Really feels like the article is lacking some info. Were the boys trying to hurt the man when he was on the ground or what? If yeah then I say it's justified.[/QUOTE] Well, here's a better, more recent article: [url]http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=361731[/url] [quote]A 65-year-old Reading man who was riding his bicycle was justified in shooting two teens - one fatally - who tried to rob him on a Schuylkill River trail as part of a crime spree, the Berks County district attorney said Thursday. The teens, age 16 and 15, and another 15-year-old boy skipped school Wednesday and robbed two pedestrians in West Reading before they attacked the man as he rode on the Thun Trail in Cumru Township at 11 a.m., police said. The man, whose name authorities withheld, will not be charged for shooting the teens because he acted in self-defense, which is legal under Pennsylvania's Castle Doctrine, District Attorney John T. Adams said. "While I don't condone violence, the bike rider had no choice," Adams said. "It was justifiable homicide." Julius Johnson, 16, of Reading was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday morning after he was shot in his chest with a handgun, officials said. An autopsy Thursday by Dr. Supriya Kuruvila, a forensic pathologist at Reading Hospital, determined Johnson died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the county coroner's office. The death was ruled a homicide, officials said. The 15-year-old shot in the neck remained in Reading Hospital on Thursday, officials said. Information about his medical condition could not be obtained. Police did not release his name because he has not been charged. The third teen, Michael Gonzalez, 15, address unavailable, was charged with robbery, aggravated assault and related offenses and committed to the county youth center in Bern Township. Officials said an investigation continues. Johnson was a Reading High School student, and the 15-year-olds are Gov. Mifflin High School students, Adams said. Adams gave this account: Johnson was on probation for previous offenses. Juvenile probation officers had gone to his Oakbrook residence earlier Wednesday and found the three teens playing video games. They told the two 15-year-olds to leave. The officers put an electronic monitoring device on Johnson's ankle, ordered him to stay home and report to their office with his parents at 4 p.m. Instead, the three met up and decided to jump and rob random victims. They first robbed an elderly man in West Reading shortly after 10 a.m., taking money from his pockets, then tried to rob another man in West Reading, kneeing him in the stomach and pushing him to the ground. Neither man was hurt. The bike rider was on the trail between Reading and West Reading. [B]As he rode past the teens, the 15-year-old whose name was not released punched the man in the face, knocking him from his bike. Johnson ran and kicked the man, who was sitting against a chain-link fence along the trail. As one of the teens ran toward the man, he shot Johnson and the 15-year-old. [/B] People who found the man called 9-1-1 and waited for police to arrive. It was unclear if the people heard the shots or were on the trail. The teens weren't armed, but the shootings were legal because the man was unable to escape, thought his life was in danger and had a permit to carry his gun, Adams said. The man told investigators: "I was scared for my life. I was in big trouble. If I could have kept my bike on the trail, I would have gotten out of there." The man was unhurt but shaken by the shootings, Adams said. Adams did not know if Johnson's monitoring device had GPS tracking capabilities or if it simply triggered an alarm when he left his home. Adams said juvenile probation officers acted appropriately. Cumru Police Chief Jed Habecker credited his department for its quick investigation. He said the crime was only the second robbery to occur along the Cumru section of the Thun Trail in about a decade. Adams said he has heard from many people in the community that the bicyclist was a hero for successfully defending himself. "When your life is in danger, you have no choice but to use deadly force," he said.[/quote]
[QUOTE=Skyward;38167969]This is getting winners? What the fuck? They were pricks, but he had NO reason to KILL a kid because of it.[/QUOTE] He should have let them beat him senseless and take his money and bike, that'd be much much better for all parties.
[QUOTE=Sharker;38167896]How is this good? All he had to do was whip out his gun and point it in their faces a bit and they'd fuck off.[/QUOTE] He was attacked and surrounded. And its not like guns are magic things that resolve situations just by appearance, that's a dangerous idea [QUOTE=Justin Case;38167950]I managed to completely overlook the fact he'd just fallen off a bike, alright fair point.[/QUOTE] Not fallen, pushed.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.