Murder on my street!

[SG15Z]

So yeah there I am minding my own buisness surfing the internet enjoying my day off. Then I hear a loud BANG! I think nothing of it as did most of the neibors despite how loud it was. However I then hear sirens passing my house. HELLO! So I come outside as several cop cars come zooming down the street to one of the neighbors houses. At first when I see the truck I've never seen before I think it's some sort of drug bust or something. As that's really the most of our crime around here. But then one of the cops blocks the way in the street and the cops at the scene pull out the crime scene tape!

I of course freak out and hope to God everyone is alright. I try to wake my mom and tell her there's freaking cops all over the street but she's not feeling well and just goes back to sleep. So finally one of the ladies that lives next to the house in question comes by to pick up her kid from the bus and me and a neighbor ask her what happened. Of course all she knows is someone was shot.

Well eventually we got the info from the cops and here's what happened. The guy who lives there, Stan, was messing with some girl and her husband/boyfriend/lover/whatever called Stan and after some yelling told him that he was gonna come and killed him. So he comes zooming down to Stan's house and Stan was out waiting for him. The guy while still in the truck pulls out a gun, and Stan pulls out his shotgun and kills the guy!

Stan then called the cops telling them what happened which of course led to the whole street in their yards watching a hearse take the dead guy away.

So that was my day off. Yeah I know it's only 5pm but nothing could possibly top a murder crime scene just down the road from me. Especially since this is the first murder I've ever heard of in this town. I give it till tomorrow before the whole town hears about it.

[Der Cute]

Give your tiny town more credit - it would only take a few hours for it to spread .

[Jester]

Now, if Stan shot the guy after the guy pulled out a gun, that could be ruled as self-defense, i.e., justifiable homicide. Not murder.

Murder is the legal classification of a type of killing. Not all killings are murder. If Stan had just blown the guy away for talking smack to him, that would have been murder. If the guy had pulled up and shot Stan in cold blood, that would have been murder. But a justifiable homicide, while still a killing, is by definition not murder.

(I do not pretend to know the particulars of the case in question. I am merely going on what the OP said happened, and differentiating between someone being killed and someone being murdered.)

[Soulstealer]

Now, if Stan shot the guy after the guy pulled out a gun, that could be ruled as self-defense, i.e., justifiable homicide. Not murder.

Murder is the legal classification of a type of killing. Not all killings are murder. If Stan had just blown the guy away for talking smack to him, that would have been murder. If the guy had pulled up and shot Stan in cold blood, that would have been murder. But a justifiable homicide, while still a killing, is by definition not murder.

(I do not pretend to know the particulars of the case in question. I am merely going on what the OP said happened, and differentiating between someone being killed and someone being murdered.)

Sounds about right Jester. In any case the police will likely investigate the situation to determine what it was.

[Jester]

Sounds about right Jester. In any case the police will likely investigate the situation to determine what it was.

Oh, absolutely. I was just making the differentiation with the assumption that the story was true as told. Not an assumption that police would make, of course, as they have to investigate. Stan could be lying about any number of things, of course. Etc., etc.

[Broomjockey]

SG, glad you're fine.

Murder is the legal classification of a type of killing. Not all killings are murder.

Yes, that's true, and I'm sure 99% of us knew that. However, as with many terms with specific meanings to certain professions that abut the public-at-large, there's the definition, and the colloquial usage. People don't say "He homicided somebody," or "He manslaughtered somebody." People say "He murdered somebody." So next time you feel the need to expound upon the correct usage of a term, keep in mind it may not be used the same way someone in the profession would exactly mean. As long as the point's been gotten across, it doesn't particularly matter.

[draggar]

My wife's cousin (who is a police officer in Miami) was involved in a fatal shooting this morning - luckily no officers were hurt.

Having a murder on your street can be a little nerve racking - I think we've had 1 or 2 since we've lived here (one was across the street).

If you're worried look into getting a dog. One that barks at strangers. Yeah, it's annoying to you sometimes but most burgurlars etc.. will walk on by. Also, alarm systems can be great.

[Jester]

However, as with many terms with specific meanings to certain professions that abut the public-at-large, there's the definition, and the colloquial usage. People don't say "He homicided somebody," or "He manslaughtered somebody." People say "He murdered somebody."

I know it was a minor point, but I felt the need to point it out.

And no, I owuld never expect anyone to say "he committed homicide" or such. I guess I was thinking that the correct thing to say would have been "he killed someone" until we know whether it was murder or justifiable homicide. After all, no matter what the legal classification or linguistic meaning, "he killed him" pretty much covers all cases, from military actions to police shootings to self-defense to murder to manslaughter.

And I should probably shut up on the subject now, huh? Or somebody just might kill me. And it would probably be justifiable, thus not murder.

[tropicsgoddess]

My wife's cousin (who is a police officer in Miami) was involved in a fatal shooting this morning - luckily no officers were hurt.

Having a murder on your street can be a little nerve racking - I think we've had 1 or 2 since we've lived here (one was across the street).

If you're worried look into getting a dog. One that barks at strangers. Yeah, it's annoying to you sometimes but most burgurlars etc.. will walk on by. Also, alarm systems can be great.

I dunno about an alarm system since some smart criminals can cut the wires for alarm systems if they want to. I would stick with a dog, they bark at strangers and if by any means necessary they will bite the mofos that try something. Some years back I remember some blocks from my house, an on-duty cab driver was shot and killed in some sort of robbery (IIRC).

[SG15Z]

Now, if Stan shot the guy after the guy pulled out a gun, that could be ruled as self-defense, i.e., justifiable homicide. Not murder.

Yeah you're right. I was just using the common improper usage we use out here. You're right though it was a justifiable homicide.

SG, glad you're fine.

Thanks Broom!

If you're worried look into getting a dog. One that barks at strangers. Yeah, it's annoying to you sometimes but most burgurlars etc.. will walk on by. Also, alarm systems can be great.

1) I'm not worried. This sort of thing is very very very rare in this town. Any type of killing is extremely rare.

2) We have like 4 dogs (2 larger breeds and 2 small) and they all bark at anything that moves. So I think we're good.

3) We have an alarm system, but we're not paying for the services (anymore at least) so all it would do is make a loud noise, which yes can scare burglars away, it won't call the authorities.