Intoxicated man killed after entering wrong apartment

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: Condor
Sad indeed. Even the most rabid gun grabber agrees that authorities should have guns. The shooter was: Soto got into the wrong apartment through an open front window and headed to the bathroom, where he encountered the resident, a 65-year-old state prison counselor, authorities said. He should have known better than to shoot without trying to discover what the complete situation was. He must have felt threatened or I'm sure he wouldn't have reacted with such finality. I never shoot strangers without at least trying to get to know them! Of course, how much dialog can you really have in a quarter of a second?

Well there's the argument that both men thought the other was an intruder since the drunk guy thought he was entering his own home. . .supposedly. . .But that doesn't explain how once he gained entrance to the home he didn't notice none of the stuff in the house was his and promptly realize it wasn't his house. It's one thing to mistakenly go to the wrong door from the outside if your houses in your neighborhood look similar and it's dark outside. But once he was in, he should have recognized immediately, despite his drunken stupor, that he was not in the right place.

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: ahurtt

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/10/wrong.apartment.ap/index.html

Obviously a horrible situation all around, both men undoubtedly thought they were fighting an intruder. Had there not been a gun involved it might have even gone the other way - A 21 year old vs a 65 year old is not a particularly fair fight.

It is unfortunate (for the shooter) that such a clear cut situation went so wrong. I'm very much pro gun but this would be hard to deal with.

Viper GTS

That's the kind of sh!t that happens when you drink.

not necessarily.

Not every time, no. But keep doing it and eventually bad stuff happens. Sometimes sooner sometimes later.

 

[aidanjm]

just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

Or alcohol. :roll:

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

Or alcohol. :roll:

touche
:thumbsup:

 

[kt]

If anyone is to be blamed it's the friend who dropped the drunk guy off. If I were to drop a drunk friend off, I would take him/her all the way into his/her home before leaving. WTF was his friend thinking?

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: ahurtt

Originally posted by: Nightfall
Ok, I am questioning this already.

First off, why did he enter the window of his apartment? If his key won't work, why not call maintenance to let him in? All apartment complexes have on call maintenance that help out the renters in case of situations like this.

That little piece of info blows the credibility of this story right out of the water. He could have went through the window looking to rob this guy or take something he saw.

If it's after hours when the office is closed they most often charge you a very hefty fee for having to send somebody out to let you in. . .

Where did you get that info? If it is a maintenance isssue, you don't pay a dime. It is included in your rental fee. If you have to pay extra just because it is after hours, then you need to find a new apartment. Every apartment I have lived in has had free 24/7 maintenance support with a damn phone on the outside of the front office building to call if there is a problem.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: kt
If anyone is to be blamed it's the friend who dropped the drunk guy off. If I were to drop a drunk friend off, I would take him/her all the way into his/her home before leaving. WTF was his friend thinking?

that is true. i would even make sure they were tucked into bed before i left them.

 

[TGS]

Soto got into the wrong apartment through an open front window and headed to the bathroom, where he encountered the resident, a 65-year-old state prison counselor, authorities said.

They scuffled and the resident, thinking Soto was an intruder, shot him once. The shooter will not be charged, Bradford said.

Intruder comes through the window, check
Intruder starts fighting, check
Intruder shot once, check

If someone was that drunk, his friends clearly should have walked him to his apartment. The situation while unfortunate, was warranted once Soto started fighting with the resident. From his viewpoint, a drunk man just came through his window, and started fighting with him. Who knows what his plans are? If the guy would have realized he was in the wrong apartment and left peacefully, everything would have been fine. Once you enter someones home and start fighting with them, you could expect them to believe their lives are in immediate danger. I know I would.

 

[monk3y]

That just plain sucks.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: BigB10293

Originally posted by: Nightfall
Ok, I am questioning this already.

First off, why did he enter the window of his apartment? If his key won't work, why not call maintenance to let him in? All apartment complexes have on call maintenance that help out the renters in case of situations like this.

That little piece of info blows the credibility of this story right out of the water. He could have went through the window looking to rob this guy or take something he saw.

Have you ever been drunk? You don't think straight... climbing through the window most likely seemed like a good idea.

i've done that stuff without being drunk. you can't honestly tell me EVERYONE automatically thinks of going to the maintenance man first.

that's like saying, "oh what an idiot, he got lost, all he had to do was ask for directions".

sure, that's easy to say but the fact is, that's not what people do.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: monk3y
That just plain sucks. I really can't believe so many people think he got what he deserved. Death should never be an outcome when someone hasn't harmed another.

why did you edit?

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: amcdonald

Originally posted by: Nightfall
Ok, I am questioning this already.

First off, why did he enter the window of his apartment? If his key won't work, why not call maintenance to let him in? That little piece of info blows the credibility of this story right out of the water. He could have went through the window looking to rob this guy or take something he saw.

I've had to break into my own house before if I forgot/lost my key.
I usually go for a window cause one is likely to be unlocked.
It adds up to me.

He must have been royally drunk to not think twice about his key not working though.

For a house, yes. For an apartment, no. Apartments have maintenance people who are on call 24/7 to help the renters out in situations like this. Your key don't work? Call maintenance. Most complexes have a phone at the office you can call if there is a problem. You don't have that service with a house, so it makes sense if you have a house.

HE WAS DRUNK.

Drunk people don't think like a normally rational person with functioning cognitive skills.

What part of that don't you understand?

He wasn't "ha ha tipsy drunk". He was full blown sh!tfaced. He would have been lucky to dial a phone successfully let alone actually realize that he should call night maintenance.

Being drunk isn't an excuse. If I shoot someone when I am drunk, does that let me off the hook? If I beat someone up if I am drunk, do I get off scott free? If he was that bad, his friends should have helped him into his apartment.

Its unfortunate, but this situation could have been avoided if either side was thinking rationally. The owner of the apartment heard someone break into his place and defended himself as was his right. The drunk guy made a tragic mistake. His friends should have been there to help him out. Its too bad that sh1t happens like this, but it does.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: amcdonald

Originally posted by: Nightfall
Ok, I am questioning this already.

First off, why did he enter the window of his apartment? If his key won't work, why not call maintenance to let him in? That little piece of info blows the credibility of this story right out of the water. He could have went through the window looking to rob this guy or take something he saw.

I've had to break into my own house before if I forgot/lost my key.
I usually go for a window cause one is likely to be unlocked.
It adds up to me.

He must have been royally drunk to not think twice about his key not working though.

For a house, yes. For an apartment, no. Apartments have maintenance people who are on call 24/7 to help the renters out in situations like this. Your key don't work? Call maintenance. Most complexes have a phone at the office you can call if there is a problem. You don't have that service with a house, so it makes sense if you have a house.

HE WAS DRUNK.

Drunk people don't think like a normally rational person with functioning cognitive skills.

What part of that don't you understand?

He wasn't "ha ha tipsy drunk". He was full blown sh!tfaced. He would have been lucky to dial a phone successfully let alone actually realize that he should call night maintenance.

Being drunk isn't an excuse. If I shoot someone when I am drunk, does that let me off the hook? If I beat someone up if I am drunk, do I get off scott free? If he was that bad, his friends should have helped him into his apartment.

Its unfortunate, but this situation could have been avoided if either side was thinking rationally. The owner of the apartment heard someone break into his place and defended himself as was his right. The drunk guy made a tragic mistake. His friends should have been there to help him out. Its too bad that sh1t happens like this, but it does.

do you think the guy who shot him feels he did the right thing?

i'll bet he doesn't anymore.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Nightfall
For a house, yes. For an apartment, no. Apartments have maintenance people who are on call 24/7 to help the renters out in situations like this. Your key don't work? Call maintenance. Most complexes have a phone at the office you can call if there is a problem. You don't have that service with a house, so it makes sense if you have a house.

you must live in a really nice place to have 24 hour maintenance.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: kt
If anyone is to be blamed it's the friend who dropped the drunk guy off. If I were to drop a drunk friend off, I would take him/her all the way into his/her home before leaving. WTF was his friend thinking?

that is true. i would even make sure they were tucked into bed before i left them.

I'd get into bed with them, spend the night. Just to be safe, of course.

 

[vi edit]

Being drunk isn't an excuse. If I shoot someone when I am drunk, does that let me off the hook? If I beat someone up if I am drunk, do I get off scott free? If he was that bad, his friends should have helped him into his apartment.

Its unfortunate, but this situation could have been avoided if either side was thinking rationally. The owner of the apartment heard someone break into his place and defended himself as was his right. The drunk guy made a tragic mistake. His friends should have been there to help him out. Its too bad that sh1t happens like this, but it does.

And where did I ever say it was an excuse? I think I made it pretty clear in my first post that it sucks, but it's how it went down.

My whole point to you is that piss staggering drunk people don't think of calling the magical maintenance man to let them in. He paid the ultimate price for his actions.

 

[Jack Ryan]

It is unfortunate and explainable. Nothing more needs to be said.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

wrong

 

[lokiju]

Reminds me of this shytefaced guy I saw at my apartment complex this past weekend, he was sooo blasted drunk he was falling and hanging on to the wall just trying to find his apartment, made me glad I don't drink anymore.


And the old guy was in his rights, even though it sucks that it was a mistaken situation like this, the guy did break and enter someones home.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

Or alcohol. :roll:

:thumbsup: i would love to know an exact figure of how many people are killed each year in the US that is alcohol related. I have a feeling the figure will be much much larger than gun related deaths.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: FoBoT
he was still an intruder even if it was due to his drunkeness

that is true, but it doesn't make it any less unfortunate.

unless he accidently got drunk, i think it was of his own doing, he had freedom of choice to get drunk and the results are still of his own doing

 

[Indolent]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

wrong

yeah, do you ever think of what could have happened to the old guy if he didn't have the gun?

 

[Cutterhead]

This actually happened to me when I was in college staying over at my girlfriend's apartment. She had friends from home visiting, so she had them stay in her bedroom and she and I were sleeping on the couch in the living room. At like 4 in the morning she wakes me up hitting me and screaming cause there is some stranger, covered in blood, mumbling to himself and saying we're in his apartment. He was clearly drunk and had just been in a fight or taken a fall or something. I was getting up to run to the kitchen for a knife or frying pan, but luckily he just turned around and left.

We had thought the front door was locked, but with people over visiting and her roomates coming and going it must have been left opened. Needless to say she is psycho about keeping the door locked now

 

[SampSon]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
just another reason to criminalize civilian ownership of guns

Obvious troll post. Don't start a flame war.

I would have shot him too. Some kid comes in my window in the middle of the night and trys to wrestle me, he's going to get hurt.