"The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the crown. It may be frail - its roof may shake - the wind may blow through it - the storm may enter - the rain may enter - but the King of England cannot enter." - British Prime Minister William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, commenting on the English common law doctrine of a man's right to be safe in his home, 1763.
Air Force Sergeant Matt Pinkerton was faced with an aggressive intruder who broke into his home at 2:00 AM after being told to leave and threatened his wife and his safety, so he dispatched him with a Glock 9mm.
Believe it or not, the State of Maryland's position is that Pinkerton should have called 911 and just sat there waiting for the police to arrive instead of defending his wife, himself and his property. And they're charging him with murder two:
Pinkerton was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime.
The state argued that Pinkerton could have called 911.
District Court Judge Jonas Legum reduced Pinkerton’s bond from $1.5 million to $250,000.
Legum said he finds it “amazing” that the statement of probable cause against Pinkerton is only two pages long, and included only one sentence about whether or not Green had a weapon.
Pinkerton told police he did not see any weapons in Green’s hands, charging documents state.
Green had staked out the Pinkertons’ home before they arrived early Sunday morning, O’Neill said. When Green knocked on the door, Pinkerton retrieved a Glock 17 9mm handgun, put it in his back pocket and went to see who it was, police said. He wasn’t expecting any visitors.
When Pinkerton opened the door, he found Green on the porch, police said. Green demanded to see Jessica Pinkerton.
Matthew Pinkerton told Green to leave, but he refused and started to shout, police said.
The pair exchanged “derogatory” remarks before Pinkerton closed the front door, police said. Green continued to yell from the front porch, police said.
Pinkerton then heard his screen door being opened, police said. He headed back to the front door as Green broke through it, damaging the door frame, O’Neill said.
Pinkerton pulled his gun and ordered Green to leave, O’Neill said.
Green continued into the residence and was shot twice by Pinkerton, police said.
“He has the right to defend himself against an intruder,” O’Neill said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Neubauer said Pinkerton could have called the police. When Pinkerton grabbed his gun, it was “bizarre behavior in itself,” Neubauer said.
But O’Neill said calling 911 wasn’t an option.
“By the time 911 is called, he’s dead,” O’Neill said.
This should put the citizens of Maryland and other locales where anti-Second Amendment radicals have taken control on notice as to what the lives of you and your loved ones are worth to the politicians in power.
You sound very biased, like the 2nd amendment is ALL you care about. Not me. I will NEVER understand why people take an extreme solution like shooting someone as their first response. This was not "an intruder" it was a former friend of his WIFE, and from what I've read, this controlling service man/husband/shooter, forced her to end the friendship. (I wouldn't have done it myself, I'd divorce a man before I'd let him control who I could or could not be friends with)
ReplyDeleteI think it's nuts that any man would think shooting someone that was friends with his wife as being okay UNLESS the other man was also armed (he wasn't).
If I were on Pinkerton's jury, he wouldn't be found not guilty. Then again neither would Zimmerman have been found not guilty. If you're killing someone there had better be more to support coming to that conclusion than what either of Zimmerman or Pinkerton have produced.
I admit-I wonder if you respect the FIRST amendment as much as the second. Will you "approve" my dissenting comment or are you a hypocrite on which amendments you respect?
I'm extremely biased when it comes to allowing people to make their own choices. Mea Culpa.
ReplyDeleteY'know, Anonymous, I'd bet anything you consider yourself 'pro-choice' when it comes to killing babies for any reason whatsoever (and BTW, FWIW I'm by no means hardline anti-abortion).
Yet you're anti-choice when it come to someone wanting to defend themselves and their loved ones!
That hypocrisy is pretty typical of the rest of your comment.
This creep broke into Pinkerton's home after a violent altercation, and after being told to leave. No one invited him in.Pinkerton was well within his rights to defend himself and his wife.Or perhaps you think this guy's former friendship with Pinkerton's wife gave him the right of breaking and entering?
That's why the jury acquitted him, and it was an eminently proper decision both legally and morally.
I will NEVER understand why people take an extreme solution like shooting someone as their first response.
Well, aside from the fact it wasn't his first response but his last resort, you are totally within your rights to choose not have the means to defend yourself. If someone breaks into your home, you can congratulate yourself on how much better you are than all those awful gun nuts in between your muffled screams as you're forcibly sodomized. But you have no right to take away someone else's choice in that matter.
The Second Amendment is the one that makes all the others meaningful, including the First Amendment.
And finally, while this is one of the few sites nowadays that allows anonymous unregistered comments, this site is my property. And I reserve the right to decide who comes here and who doesn't...especially when they're too gutless to identify themselves.
The First Amendment, BTW gives you no inherent right to be heard.
Regards,
Rob