Did he do the right thing?

[KimberPB]

Thoughts on this one?

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2.../6/300942.html

Tuesday, Nov 6th, 2007: ST.PETERSBURG (Bay News 9) -- Police said a good samaritan was shot while trying to keep a man from beating up a woman.

It happened on 9th street North and 32nd Street South Tuesday around 10:30 a.m.

Police say Paul Mitchell, 38, and Patrick Ricketts, 23, drove up on a man trying to beat up a woman on the street.

Mitchell, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, jumped out of his truck with his gun drawn.

Police said Mitchell told the suspect to let the woman go. He did and the woman ran away.

But police said when the suspect got in his car to leave, he started shooting at the Mitchell, the good samaritan.

One round hit Mitchell in the thigh. Another bullet hit a nearby home.

Police said the good samaritan did not return fire and is being treated at Bayfront Hospital. He's expected to be okay. The suspect is still on the loose.

[EdMaxx]

I'd say he did fine, right up to the point where he blew the situational awareness. He should have been in condition Red until the BG was gone. It sounds like he went to condition Yellow too soon. Just my $.02.

BTW, here's the link on that: http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2.../6/300942.html

[KimberPB]

I'd say he did fine, right up to the point where he blew the situational awareness. He should have been in condition Red until the BG was gone. It sounds like he went to condition Yellow too soon. Just my $.02.

BTW, here's the link on that: http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2.../6/300942.html

Thanks for the correct link I must have copied it wrong. I edited the original post and added yours.

[country85]

As stated his mistake was to relax to soon.

[ishi]

I'd buy him a beer any day. I'm interested in whether the experience has changed his outlook on samaritanism (sp?)

[Tarzan1888]

I'd say he did fine, right up to the point where he blew the situational awareness. He should have been in condition Red until the BG was gone. It sounds like he went to condition Yellow too soon. Just my $.02.

BTW, here's the link on that: http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2.../6/300942.html

You are right on.

Tarzan

[Unearthed]

I think the answer is sort of obvious and has already been stated. Lets make it a little more interesting:

YOU are the good samaritan and with gun drawn you tell this scumbag to stop hitting the woman. He tells to you F off and punches her in the face...

What's your next move?

[Puppy]

I think the answer is sort of obvious and has already been stated. Lets make it a little more interesting:

YOU are the good samaritan and with gun drawn you tell this scumbag to stop hitting the woman. He tells to you F off and punches her in the face...

What's your next move?

Excellent question.

[kwo51]

And then you shot him only to find out the other person was a guy in drag trying to rob him.

[ishi]

Yeah, the problem with the situation is that... well it probably wasn't legal for him to draw on the guy. It was probably ethical! But the law, I'm not sure that it gives him a way to legally do what he did. In fact, it could be convincingly argued (by a scumbag lawyer, not me) that he was the one who escalated the situation.

If I saw something like that, I would... damn, I'm not sure. I don't wanna go to prison for aggravated assault, that's the thing. I'd have to be sure that he was actually endangering her life. It might be easier to scream at the guy and convince him to attack me instead.

The thing is, by drawing your weapon you're threatening to kill somebody. I'm not sure if I could (or should) make that threat on the basis of one person punching another one, unless it was clear that it was a life-threatening situation. The other idea is a rather personal one, and it's that my reason for carrying is explicitly to protect my wife and myself, in that order. I can't make any promises about protecting anybody else.

It's a really tough question, and I'm glad this guy isn't going to jail. It's hard to guarantee that he would not go to jail for the same actions in a different city or state.