A 14 year old boy in Dallas was shot to death on April 9th. The boy, and his 13 and 14 year old friends, broke into a house with apparent intent to burgle the residence and was shot in the head by the homeowner. While not a highly sympathetic case, as the boys were engaging in a crime, this is another tragedy that could have been prevented. Here are the pertinent parts of the story:
... the 52-year-old homeowner was at the residence, with his adult son, when he heard a knock on the door and saw three young people he did not recognize. When the homeowner did not answer the door the three “teenage looking” suspects went around to the back and began beating on a door there.
The homeowner, who at some point apparently armed himself, called 911 and was on the phone with an emergency dispatcher while the suspects attempted to make entry into the house. After several attempts the back door was kicked in and the homeowner opened fire. One of the suspects was hit in the head and died at the scene.
The homeowner was questioned by police and released pending a Grand Jury referral.
Full Story On CBS News
Burglars typically knock at the front door of a home to see if anyone is there. If someone answers or calls out, they move on to another location. In this case, the homeowner did not answer the door or ask who was there. He armed himself, called 911, and then shot 14 year old Luis Avila when the young burglars kicked in the rear door.
How could this shooting have been prevented? The homeowner could have:
1. Answered the door to find out who the boys were
2. Called through the door "Who is it?"
3. If seriously in fear, he could have said "I'm calling the police" or "I have a gun"
It is sad that we have created a society where bullets take the place of common sense. Yes, the boys were burglars but if the homeowner had indicated that he was at home, they would have left in search of greener pastures. The homeowner could then have alerted the police to their suspicious activity. Instead, one of the boys received a death penalty. Does frontier justice really belong in a 21st century world?