Would You Shoot 2 Men to Protect Your Neighbor's Property?

[Gemini Cricket]

This is from the article above. The bold is my doing.

In the 911 call, a dispatcher urges Horn to stay inside his house and not risk lives.
"Don't go outside the house," the 911 operator pleaded. "You're going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun. I don't care what you think."
"You want to make a bet?" Horn answered. "I'm going to kill them."
After the shooting, he redialed 911.
"I had no choice," he said, his voice shaking. "They came in the front yard with me, man. I had no choice. Get somebody over here quick."

There are a couple of things that bug me about the whole thing:

1. The quote above. Was this a game to the man? Was it just adrenaline?

2. Shooting two people in the back. Wow. No threat to him, they were walking/running away from him.

3. Horn looks like my ex's dad.

4. I don't want to pull the "what kind of message does this send" card, but what kind of message does this send? Vigilantism is A-OK in Texas.

5. He could have shot to wound. He chose not to do that. Twice.

6. Does the fact that they were illegal immigrants make the ruling okay? I don't think so.

7. Does race play a part in this? If they were white guys shot in the back, what would the opinion be then?

8. Horn suspected they were robbing his neighbor, and they most likely were. But even suspicion of robbery was enough for this man to kill.


I don't think I could shoot to kill anyone unless me, my family or friends were in danger. Even then, my instinct would be to wound. But with all the adrenaline flowing, who knows.