Bernard Goetz

[Guest ArmaDeFuego]

A little primer in case someone here hasnt heard of him before: (Although I bet anyone over 35 yrs old or so definitely has.)

Bernhard Goetz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaI was watching "Aftermath" on the Biography Channel the other day & they were running the story of Bernard Goetz. They did an hour long interview with him & went back over his story. I have always found his story fascinating.

Basically he shot 4 teens on a subway that he felt were about to rob him. I've always been amazed that he got off completely & wasnt convicted of anything, even though 2 of the teens he shot never spoke to him & werent near him when he shot them. I guess to understand why he got off you would have to understand what was going on in NYC at that time. (Rampant crime, etc.)

If the same thing would have happened here in Tennessee today & he would have shot say 4 teens on a bus, I would recommend him for AT LEAST manslaughter, & maybe even 2nd degree murder if I was on a grand jury. I personally believe he took the "being in imminent fear" for your life thing just a tad too far, but then again I havent had the life experiences that he had leading up to this event either. (He had been badly beaten by a group of thugs a few years before this incident.)

Of course its easy to Monday morning quarterback these things to death, but I really have a hard time seeing how he was justified in shooting all 4 of them.

And I guess New York didnt have any laws in placing saying that if its self defense your victims cant sue you, 'cause one of the teens he shot (that he paralyzed for life) successfully sued him in civil court for like $40 million, but he hasnt paid a dime to him so far.

[Guest nj.piney]

i followed the case . if memory serves me he got 6 months for illegal possesion of a firearm .

[GuardianDevil001]

I had the pleasure of meeting Bernie a few years ago. His hobby at the time was rescuing and rehabilitating injured squirrels. That any rational and objective person who has met the man would describe him as a cold-blooded vigilante is beyond my comprehension. Of the four savages who attacked him only the one confined to a wheelchair did not go on to commit another felony. One helped to rape a woman on a rooftop. Bernie's only real crime was poor marksmanship.

[Guest Red5]

"I'm Bernie Goetz when I fly off the handle!!"

[Chucktshoes]

Of the four savages who attacked him only the one confined to a wheelchair did not go on to commit another felony. One helped to rape a woman on a rooftop. Bernie's only real crime was poor marksmanship.

Sometimes, certain posts make me wish the board had the option of a "like" button. This portion of this post falls into that category.

[Guest 270win]

I don't think this Goetz guy would have been convicted of anything in Tennessee because the deal was self defense. The four gangbangers did threaten him with grave bodily harm/death in order to rob him. Mugging is robbery no matter how nice it sounds. Four against one plus I believe at least one presented a screw driver or hammer to him in the threatening process. Tough luck for the four.

Goetz just screwed up and didn't have a pistol license in New York. That is a big time no no up there. He could have gone through the proper channels and gotten one to keep in his house and probably still been someone legal in carrying/possessing the handgun in public. That would have been a lot better than no license at all and possessing a handgun without a pistol license in New York. People do not seem to have a problem getting a pistol license to keep a handgun at home even in New York City.

[Chucktshoes]

I don't think this Goetz guy would have been convicted of anything in Tennessee because the deal was self defense. The four gangbangers did threaten him with grave bodily harm/death in order to rob him. Mugging is robbery no matter how nice it sounds. Four against one plus I believe at least one presented a screw driver or hammer to him in the threatening process. Tough luck for the four.

Goetz just screwed up and didn't have a pistol license in New York. That is a big time no no up there. He could have gone through the proper channels and gotten one to keep in his house and probably still been someone legal in carrying/possessing the handgun in public. That would have been a lot better than no license at all and possessing a handgun without a pistol license in New York. People do not seem to have a problem getting a pistol license to keep a handgun at home even in New York City.

Actually, after a prior robbery and beating, Goetz had applied and been denied for a pistol license for "insufficient need".

[DaveTN]

Of course its easy to Monday morning quarterback these things to death, but I really have a hard time seeing how he was justified in shooting all 4 of them.

Bernard Goetz is the poster child for jury nullification. The fact that he was acquitted doesn’t mean what he did was legal.

Steve McNair was drunk driving while carrying a gun, admitted it on TV, and apologized for what he had done. A Judge then decided he wasn’t “weaving enough†and the DA refused to appeal his decision. Sometimes in high profile cases certain people are above the law. The sad part is that the message was immediately sent that you can be guilty and still get the probable cause for a stop kicked. But none of us could have pulled that off. Sometimes the courts are just wrong; doesn’t mean what the person did wasn’t illegal.

[Guest 270win]

What kind of license did Goetz apply for? Most people have a hard time getting true carry licenses in NYC, but can get licenses to at least keep a handgun in their home. Those licenses seem to be issued to people with clean records, despite what people believe that no guns are allowed in NYC.