So last night, a student surprised an intruder in his home, and having nothing at hand but a samurai sword.. he used that.
http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/09/15/hopkins-student-kills-intruder-with-sword-police-say/
Wow. That sucks for the burglar.
Is there any chance for the student to be charged with anything? In France, there are laws describing how some means of resistance are way overpowered for some assaults (like say using an assault rifle to shoot down a guy assaulting you with a knife from a few hundred meters).
I guess it's protected in the US under the 2nd amendment but... is it?
I'm sure I'm not the only geek out there who, instead of a baseball bat for assault emergencies at his own home, has a sword at hand, just in case. I hope I never have to use it, though.
Good for the student. The burglar rolled the dice and came up Snake Eyes on this job.
My wife won't allow a gun in the house and I have some tight spaces in my house, so I have a sturdy cudgel within reach of my bed.
I believe the law in the US (understanding that I am neither a lawyer nor am I living anywhere near Maryland (each state having its own variations of the law, natch...) that in your own 'home' you are entitled to defend yourself with lethal force against intruders regardless of 'appropriateness' of response. It is assumed that if someone is breaking into your house you can't be expected to flee for 'safety' and you don't have to spend inordinate amounts of time trying to figure out if your life is in jeapardy.
What I want to know is if this 'samurai sword' would cut a tank in half? Surely an artifact of that level of power should not be left in the hands of a 'mere' student.
I live about five miles from the scene, mercifully in the county rather than the city. Crime in Baltimore is out of control. The State's Attorney, Mary Pat Jessamy, seems unable or unwilling to prosecute criminals, but likes to prosecute police and citizens instead. Some of the comments below the linked article depress me no end.
I don't know the current law, but it used to be if an intruder was in your home, you could assume he was an imminent threat, and lethal force was allowed. If there was a connecting door from the garage to the dwelling, the intruder was inside, and lethal force was allowed. If there was no connecting door, if it was an outside garage, then he was outside, and lethal force was not allowed. Of course, this was decades ago. A lot has changed since then.
100xp may be too low. The dead man had an extensive arrest record. We need to find out what level he was...
Quote from: Spike;331196I believe the law in the US (understanding that I am neither a lawyer nor am I living anywhere near Maryland (each state having its own variations of the law, natch...) that in your own 'home' you are entitled to defend yourself with lethal force against intruders regardless of 'appropriateness' of response.
Not in Illinois. You are NEVER allowed to use lethal force unless the jury can determine self defense AFTER you are brought to a fair and proper trial.
The latest clack on this is that the cops are saying that the student was in a defensive position (cornered) when he struck at the intruder. That's a good thing, if true, because it'll keep Jessamy from trying to prosecute him.
This was all over the news the day it happened, but probably won't get national coverage again. If it comes back up in the local news, I'm sure Leo Knight or myself will pass on any interesting developments.
Quote from: VectorSigma;334247The latest clack on this is that the cops are saying that the student was in a defensive position (cornered) when he struck at the intruder. That's a good thing, if true, because it'll keep Jessamy from trying to prosecute him.
This was all over the news the day it happened, but probably won't get national coverage again. If it comes back up in the local news, I'm sure Leo Knight or myself will pass on any interesting developments.
Good.
It sucks royally that the kid was put in that position. He should never have had to MAKE that decision...the last thing he needs is to be punished for defending himself.
Quote from: VectorSigma;334247If it comes back up in the local news, I'm sure Leo Knight or myself will pass on any interesting developments.
Cool, please do. I'm interested in the ultimate conclusion of this case.
I'll keep my eyes open on it.
For those of you living far far away, it helps to know that Johns Hopkins (which you've likely heard of - great school) is smack-dab in the middle of one of the crappier parts of Baltimore. Not quite The Wire...but close.
If I lived on-campus, I'd have more than a sword or two.
Here's a link to the most recent update (short version: it'll be weeks before they decide whether or not to charge him):
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.samurai17sep17,0,5050073.story
And this is apparently a fansite that's sprung up for the guy:
http://www.johnpontolilloisabadass.com/
Bless the Internet. The fansite is selling t-shirts and claiming that a portion of t-shirt profits will go to any defense fund for the kid if he is, indeed, charged. Amusing.