The homeowner told police the two men said they were police and claimed they were at the home to serve a warrant.

[The homeowner] became suspicious, because, you know, they have a ring camera too, and the suspects were saying they had a warrant, but it was just two people and they’re masked up and no police cars, no lights or anything like that," said Lt. Khan with HPD.

At some point, police said the men shot at the homeowner through the door, prompting the homeowner to return fire.

The homeowner was not hurt in the gunfire, but the two men were both hit and pronounced dead at the scene.

  • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    ·
    edit-2
    15 hours ago

    I’m from the area. It all depends on how white and Republican you are. They stack the Grand Juries with “respectable members” of the community (white, male business owners typically) who no-bill white folk for killing minorities.

    In a very public case, a white small business owner/homeowner shot 2 unarmed minorities in the back, killing both as they fled a neighbor’s house. They never stepped on the killer’s property and never threatened anyone. The homeowner called 911 and said he was going to kill them and get away with it. The operator said not to shoot and to go inside because police were just seconds away, and he killed them anyway.

    The grand jury refused to let the prosecutor take the case to trial because killing black people is a public benefit in their eyes.

    So the families of the victims sued the killer, and the state responded by outlawwing civil suits over any case involving a firearm that didn’t first include a felony conviction.

    • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      4 hours ago

      This is actually why Texas is great and Joe Horn did nothing wrong. You can’t trust the police, but I absolutely trust my neighbors.

    • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      11 hours ago

      So I looked up the case for anyone’s edification what happened is 2 pieces of human garbage were robbing his neighbor and running away with bags of their valuables. Aside from being robbers they had criminal convictions in Columbia for drug trafficking.

      When confronted by the shotgun wielding neighbor the dangerous drug trafficking robbers refused his order for them to stop and one ran onto the neighbor’s yard TOWARDS the shotgun wielding neighbor and the other ran away. He shot both.

      Quoth the shooter

      Horn, to dispatcher: “I had no choice. They came in the front yard with me, man. I had no choice.”

      Because of this the rest of the neighborhood wasn’t victimized by drug dealing robbers breaking into their houses. Nobody ultimately had a run in with scumbags because someone was home when the robbers thought the place was empty. Nobodies family members got murdered to avoid leaving witnesses. Nobodies sanctity got violated.

      But don’t worry the New Black Panthers protested the scumbags deaths and threatened the fellow making their entire side look deranged and unreasonable when there are plenty of bad shoots by trigger happy cops perpetrated against actually innocent victims they could have been focusing on.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Horn_shooting_controversy

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        6 hours ago

        The shooter told 911 they were coming at him, after basically saying he wanted to go kill them. The police officer who witnessed the killing said they were fleeing and that he shot them in the back.

        I’m not some anti-gun dude. I own over 50 guns and used to work in the industry.

        But that motherfucker should be in jail. Non-violent criminals don’t deserve the death penalty - least of all from some psycho neighbor who has a hard-on for violence and essentially announces his intent to kill before going outside and killing.

        • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 hours ago

          I don’t care. I don’t care if drug dealers robbing people got shot. I’m on balance a little happier that they got whacked because they literally represent a threat to people like myself and my family whereas I will never have to worry about getting shot robbing people.

      • MonkeMischief@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        10 hours ago

        This definitely shows a lot of perspective, thank you!

        I really wish people looked at these cases more objectively, considering the humans involved and not simply:

        “How can I paint this to forward my narrative obsession of the moment?”

        It’s like our entire society is based around social media clout farming. I know weaponized reporting is nothing new, but sheesh.

        I wouldn’t feel I had much choice either, if someone who just robbed a neighbor was charging at me in the dark. Suddenly after the fact, the internet is chock full of experts in ballistics and self defense law.

        But you’re right, it definitely defeated a future threat to the neighborhood residents. I haaaaate suburban Rambo Nextdoor toughguys as much as the next reasonable person, but this doesn’t sound like that.

        There’s plenty of systemic issues to tackle around crime, but breaking into peoples’ homes to loot and potentially harm them is always a choice carrying a significant weight of FAFO.

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 hours ago

          Saying non-violent burglars and drug users deserve to die because Joe really wanted an excuse to kill isn’t exactly objective.

          The only witness to the killing was a plainclothes officer who said he shot people in the back while fleeing.

          Stealing shit isn’t a capital offense. As a society, we decided long ago that even a judge and jury can’t kill someone for burglary. Why is it okay when the psycho neighbor who isn’t even a victim does it?

          • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 hours ago

            Breaking into a home isn’t non-violent. People break into places that they THINK are empty all the time or have the victims come home during the robbery all the time. If they keep doing this they will with 100% certitude come into direct conflict sooner rather than later. Furthermore the act of violating someone’s home is inherently a violation. Your argument is like saying rape is non-violent if nobody fights back.

    • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      11 hours ago

      It appears that it wouldn’t speak to cases that were never brought it would only immunize them if the grand jury is sought and declines to indict OR the case is dismissed rather than requiring a conviction to bring the suit.

      This means they can’t opt out of liability by ignoring the case. This doesn’t appear on its face to be bad law. If Texan’s decline to indict when they ought to then that not the law is the issue.

      Likewise if its even possible to stack the jury that again is the problem not the law.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        6 hours ago

        No. It applies to all civil suits regarding gun crime.

        It effectively raises the standards of civil suits when guns are involved, which are not supposed to be the same as criminal.

        • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          4 hours ago

          Good. If you aren’t guilty, you shouldn’t have any liability what-so-ever. if anything, once declared not-guilty (or the case never make it to court) any further pursuit of the victim should result in criminal harassment charges. Leave the victims alone, even if they are white.

    • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      11 hours ago

      as they fled a neighbor’s house

      Were they leaving a neighbors house or were they in fact fleeing from robbing the neighbors house.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        6 hours ago

        They had been burglarizing the neighbor’s empty house and were leaving.

        That isn’t worth killing over.

        • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 hours ago

          I think it is worth killing. The world is a slightly better place for every such person who gets killed.