Minn. man says he 'fired more shots than I needed'

[gryphon]

A Minnesota man shot and killed two teenagers that broke into his home on Thanksgiving. He waited until Friday to call the police because he didn't want to bother them on a holiday.

Minn. man says he 'fired more shots than I needed' - Yahoo! News

Here's a quote from the police complaint against him:

    After shooting her with both the Mini 14 and the .22-caliber revolver, he dragged her next to Brady. With her still gasping for air, he fired a shot under her chin "up into the cranium," the complaint says.

    "Smith described it as 'a good clean finishing shot,'" according to the complaint.

This is a prime example of why you need a lawyer before you talk to police.   

[TheQ]

Wow. WTF! This guy seemingly deserves prosecution. He should have been calling 9-1-1 immediately after to:

1. Request aid for the injured perps.
2. Summons police.
His 9-1-1 call should have gone like this:

2 people broke into my house. People are injured, send medical help and the police. I live at <insert address>. I can be reached at <insert phone>.

Then you shut up and answer few/no other questions:

I'm a bit shaken up, I'd rather not answer any questions that aren't needed until later after consulting council.

[METL]

Wow. WTF! This guy seemingly deserves prosecution. He should have been calling 9-1-1 immediately after to:

1. Request aid for the injured perps.
2. Summons police.
His 9-1-1 call should have gone like this:

2 people broke into my house. People are injured, send medical help and the police. I live at <insert address>. I can be reached at <insert phone>.

Then you shut up and answer few/no other questions:

I'm a bit shaken up, I'd rather not answer any questions that aren't needed until later after consulting council.

Agreed, but it's not going to matter much when you dragged them across the floor then contact shot the girl in the chin...   not going to matter much WHAT you say.

[gryphon]

He could still get a sympathetic jury.  Did you read the comments?  99% in favor of the guy with no sympathy for the people who broke in.

[TucTom]

I was in Mpls. over the Holiday weekend. Before I heard (read) all of the details I thought good, shot the perps. Of course after I've read details I believe it went too far. The worst being the switching to a revolver after his rifle jammed or he ran out of ammo after both were subdued.

[yance]

Yeah, this guy deserves a murder conviction.  I'm all for self defense and using deadly force is someone breaks into your home, but what he did was WAY over the top and a far cry from self defense.  It was murder, plain and simple.  The man even told police "when they laugh at you, you just go again" his actions and his words show that he had no problem murdering these two, that and then the fact that he didnt immediately call police.  I hope he gets a hefty sentence, no matter what way you spin this story there's no justifying what he did.

[gryphon]

Here is a longer story.  I'm sure we'll hear more in the future.  Apparently both were suspected in a series of robberies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238705/Familys-outrage-star-students-murdered-mans-basement-claims-robbed-home-Thanksgiving.html?ICO=most_read_module/

[gryphon]

"'They were just really great people,' friend Rachel Stauffer, 15, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 'They could make anyone laugh.'"

Well, not everybody apparently.

[Shadow Bear]

This is why shot placement is so important; make the first ones count.

[Raggs]

from what I read in the article the guy 1. murdered the kids 2. is dumber than whale$#@!

[METL]

There's a lot that doesn't add up...


1.) why did the girl go into the basement after the boy was shot?
2.) why did he wait to call the cops?   (I think he had a meth lab or something)
3.) why were the kids REALLY there?   Did they know he had drugs?   Were they HELPING him with his lab?
4.) were the shots really fired on the stairs?

[TucTom]

The two deceased are also suspected of an earlier break in.
http://www.startribune.com/local/181189391.html

Sheriff: Slain teens tied to another break-in near Little Falls.
Investigators have connected two teenage cousins who were slain during a home-invasion burglary near Little Falls, Minn., on Thanksgiving Day to a similar crime hours earlier and a few miles away

[TucTom]

There's a lot that doesn't add up...


1.) why did the girl go into the basement after the boy was shot?
2.) why did he wait to call the cops?   (I think he had a meth lab or something)
3.) why were the kids REALLY there?   Did they know he had drugs?   Were they HELPING him with his lab?
4.) were the shots really fired on the stairs?

My guesses only
1) She was waiting in the car and didn't hear anything.
2) Kinda doubt it, he was retired Fed State Dept. employee. But never know.
3) Why do burglars break in anywhere?
4) That will be easy to tell.

[gryphon]

His house had been broken into, I think, eight times.  The recent burglary netted the thieves two firearms and about $10K worth of stuff.  The girl was a drug addict, and they are suspected to have been involved in prior robberies.

Friends and family all admit this, but say the usual thing: "He should have just wounded them, not killed them."

How about this:  Don't break into people's homes.  When you break into a house, there may be someone on the other side who makes sure you don't leave alive.

Not saying his final execution-style shots were right, but that doesn't change anything. They're still dead.  "But he can't do that! That's wrong! That's against the law!" Yeah, but he did, and they're dead.  Why do some people (parents, friends) expect the victims to obey the law while making excuses for the original felons?

Actions have consequences. I hope those two learned that.

[gryphon]

The dead actors have already been tied to more home invasions.  Who would have guessed?

Minnesota Teens, Shot During Break-In, Tied to Earlier Burglary - ABC News

Slain Minn. teens tied to earlier burglary

[METL]

The dead actors have already been tied to more home invasions.  Who would have guessed?

Minnesota Teens, Shot During Break-In, Tied to Earlier Burglary - ABC News

Slain Minn. teens tied to earlier burglary

Yeah I think they found some stuff in their car....



As far as my questions, TucTom....

#1 her waiting in the car makes sense.... then she came minutes later to investigate if why he was "taking so long"...   

#3 is more in reference to did they have a connection to the old man...  maybe he was their dealer....  maybe they were helping him with his operation that I suspect he has...   the place looks pretty ram-shackle... not exactly a pllace you would think to bust into on a hunch...   so that's why I was wondering why they chose this place..

[gryphon]

Oohhh...movies! And separate audio recordings.

Warrants: Minnesota homeowner charged in teen deaths has video of break-in, audio of shootings

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/10/warrants-minnesota-homeowner-charged-in-teen-deaths-has-video-break-in-audio/

[METL]

Well that should help them get to the bottom of it...    glad to hear that... 

[32_d3gr33s]

Wow this is just crazy...
I think he went a little overboard, but he did have a right to defend his home.  To all the people saying they were just teenagers, they obviously knew what they were doing was wrong, and didnt seem to care to much about it.  And how was he to know if they were armed or not.   1 or 2 shots to stop them should have been enough.   Interested to see what happens with this though!

[wayne]

2 to the chest and 1 to the head.  At that point I would have either had 11 or 27 rounds left, depending on which 9 I grabbed.  There is no good reason in the world the guy would not call the police immediately.  Tell them to come take out the trash then that you want to talk to your attorney and shut your mouth.