Travis McMichael says in his murder trial that he felt threatened by Ahmaud Arbery

I would REALLY REALLY question that de-escalation training

 

At most just video the suspect. There was no immanent threat to life that required these three to act so precipitously

 

Um. no. This sort of thing has happened without people dying lots of times. Not defending it, mind you, but death was not an inevitable result, and that is not sound logic to apply premeditation.

 

I see "suspicious" people going down my street all the time, so I should storm out the door with a gun in each hand shouting "Citizens arrest! Citizens arrest!" like a berserker Gomer Pyle? Do stupid deeds, pay the price for that stupidity.....manslaughter at the minimum.

 

I've read numerous times that people with experience with firearms say "don't point it at someone unless you intend to pull the trigger", or something like that.
With that in mind, if someone pulls a gun on me and points it at me, I'm inclined to think that I am about to get shot, so I would probably act accordingly.
The second this guy pointed his gun at he was in the wrong. What happened after that, even if the guy grabbed the gun, was his fault. If you think about it, someone who was dong what he claimed screwed up royally when he got that close that the "target" could even grab the gun.
All they had to do, if they were really interested in "justice", was call the police and maybe follow him from a distance to keep eyes on him.
They were prejudiced, and we see too many cases of that causing enormous problems.
They need to throw the book at these three.
Reminds me of the Treyvon Martin case.

 

It begs the same question as the Martin case, all the public hullabaloo aside, did the burglaries stop?

 

Good question, but without doing any research, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that with all the attention, locally and nationally, anyone who is inclined to be a thief probably would avoid those areas like the plague. Just guessing though.

 

Not necessarily, but it COULD mean that because gun-pointing can be considered provocation, and provocation nullifies self-defense claim. It all depends on how the jury sees it.

 

Murder, but not 1st Degree murder without clear evidence of premeditation. Severe punishment.
Rittenhouse should never have been charged.

 

How is the gun supposed to be used?
I am not sure who is guilty here, but I do not understand what is a purpose of the gun if you can't point it to on the attacker.

 

Depending on the state, the laws may be written so that killing someone while committing a felony crime could be prosecuted as first degree murder, even if there wasn't clear premeditation. That's how it is in the state I live in.

 

Ahmaud Arbery was the attacker?

That is what McMichael argues. It seems people think you can point you gun at someone and then shoot in "self defense" if you get a reaction.

 

The idea is that guns are not supposed to be a warning or intimidation tactic. Should only be used as an extreme last resort to prevent harm to yourself or someone else. I don't think many people truly understand the intended purpose of guns with respect to human on human interaction.
Before someone jumps on that, hunting is something altogether different.
Honestly, if someone is threatening me with a weapon, it immediately invokes a chemical change in my body and I can physically feel it, and it puts me on the edge of attacking that person.

 

The Coast Guard might use that tactic considering they deal with drug smugglers and desperate Cuban rafters, but obviously this guy was unable to discern when its appropriate and when its not. More likely he is just saying it because he thinks it might help his case. You can't chase people with pick-up trucks and then shove a gun in their face in order to de-escalate a situation you escalated.

 

As an addendum to my comment, for those who carry a gun in a store or public place, the sight of it does not make me feel more secure. It, to me, automatically creates a target, just in case.

 

From your article.
"He had my gun. He struck me," McMichael said, choking up as he described the shooting. "It was obvious that he was attacking me, that if he would've got the shotgun from me, then it was a life or death situation. And I'm gonna have to stop him from doing this, so I shot."

May be he does not tell the truth but it looks like he has been attacked.

 

I think if you have a gun then you have show it somehow, otherwise attacker will overpower you and then kills you with your own gun.

 

I was talking about those who carry a gun in a holster, usually on their waist. Not someone brandishing it.

 

The worse I see in both cases is poor judgment. But in both, the deaths appear to be justified.

 

That is the argument they hide behind.

You think you can you chase someone with a pickup truck and then shove a gun in their face, and shoot them if they react? Is that self defense in your opinion?

Then the gun itself becomes the reason for the killing. I'm glad we don't have open carry in Florida, because it does make the carrier a potential target.

 

I have not followed the case closely since the first week after the shooting.
What was the felony committed by McMichael? Assault?

Based on what I recall, IMO, if Arbery had succeeded in taking the shotgun from McMichael and shot him it would have been an act of self defense.

 

That is neither an accurate sliver, nor the whole of the story but to serve to prosecute rather than edify for the cause of justice.

 

McDaniels assumed that Arbery was unarmed and helpless. That is why he got out of his truck.

 

Kidnapping, or unlawful detainment. People can't just go around taking prisoners when they want to.
Let me ask you this, let's say you are in a grocery store, shopping for lettuce, and someone walks up to you and pulls out a gun and points it at you.
If you react, scaring them into thinking you will harm them, and they shoot you, should they be charged or just go free?
This is one of the problems with people carrying guns around. The water gets very muddy very quickly when a situation arises.

 

Then tell me what you think happened?