It's not a movie. It's real life!

For everyone who tells me that it is always a good idea to have a gun in case someone is prowling around outside...read this, please.  We'll discuss...

 

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An attorney for a Connecticut man who fatally shot his 15-year-old son, thinking he was an intruder, said that state police want access to a computer and phone used by the teen to try to determine why he was out at night wearing a ski mask and armed with a knife.

Gene Zingaro said his client Jeffrey Giuliano is cooperating with the request because he and his wife want the same answers.

Police say Giuliano went outside with a gun around 1 a.m. on Sept. 27 when his sister called to say someone was trying to break into her house next door in New Fairfield. Authorities say Giuliano saw a masked person holding a shiny object come toward him in a threatening manner and shot him. He later was told the person he killed was his son Tyler. Police said the weapon was a knife.

Police are investigating the shooting and declined to comment on details. No charges have been filed.
State police plan to view the family computer, probably this week. Atty. Zingaro said they want to see any emails, posts to social media and visits to websites made by the boy.

"In my opinion, the focus of the investigation has shifted from what happened on the night of the shooting to why Tyler was where he was and what he was doing, what his intentions were," Zingaro said.
He said he believes his client fired at least four shots but is not sure how many hit the boy. Police have said Tyler died of multiple gunshot wounds.

At the time, Giuliano thought the masked person had a gun, Zingaro said. "My client felt like his life was in imminent danger at the time he fired," he said. "In my opinion, Jeff Giuliano had a fear of being shot at the time he fired his weapon."

Zingaro said he does not expect any charges to be filed against Giuliano. Police spent about six hours interviewing him in his attorney's office and have not asked to re-interview him, Zingaro said.

Zingaro said Giuliano had shouted several commands before the shooting, but he would not disclose what his client said. Asked if Tyler responded, he said, "not audibly."

When I read this, I thought of that jerk in Florida who took advantage of that state's crazy "stand your ground" law to shoot a door-to-door meat salesman, who had the temerity to walk up the shooter's driveway.  From his front porch, the man saw another man approaching, and what choice did he have but to shoot him and then declare that he was in fear for his life?

Son and father

In this Connecticut case, we have a man who got a call from his sister that something was afoot outside.  Instead of either of these adults calling the police to have them do their job, he grabbed the old sidearm and headed out to shoot his son to death.  For the love of Pete, he even said his son didn't reply "audibly" when challenged.  

Shoot first, wait to hear the answers later.

One question for the gun advocates:  do you think that Guiliano might regret his actions, and recommend a different course of action to someone else in his situation?  You know he does, and would, and before you say, well it's easy to judge the situation in retrospect...can we remember that he put himself in the situation in the first place?