Tn man shoots Ga man with Alzheimer's

[Erik88]

You guys assume way too much sometimes. Perhaps he couldn't afford a light for his pistol, maybe his house doesn't have exterior lights or even if it does, we don't know if the guy was standing in the shadows. 

 

I also highly doubt he knew it was an elderly unarmed man. He went outside to investigate and found himself facing a man in the dark who wouldn't follow commands and then began coming towards him. I'm sure he was in fear for his life.

 

The bottom line is that you really shouldn't go outside in this scenario. Stay in your house!

[bersaguy]

First off my heart goes out to the old gentleman that was killed. I have had a few older relatives with Alzheimer's and it is very hard to watch them go through it. Now with that said. the Police where on the phone so you know they had a squad car in route. Had it been me I would have remained in the house protecting my GF and waited on police to arrive. Your in the house, you have a gun and you are safe. You not only put your life in danger by going out side but also your GF's because if there is more than one person outside and they do have bad intentions you have put your self and your GF in danger if you get killed by a shooter and possibly your girlfriend also. To many bad decisions made because you have a gun does not make you bullet proof or superman. Did he shoot legally? I think it should be up to a jury to decide and yes I do think he should be charged with something that would put it in front of a jury...................jmho If he gets away with out being charged your going to send a message to everyone in that area that it is okay to just shoot first and ask questions later............again...........jmho

[jwinter]

One thing to remember is that the man may have been acting in an aggressive manner toward the shooter. If you have been around people with dementia you know that sometimes their confusion will lead toward aggressive behavior, even violent at times. I saw my dad go through some of this toward the end and it was not pretty. We don't know how the man may have been acting at the time.

[TMF]

Also, at this point, no one except the cops know what the shooter said happened immediately before the shooting.  In other words, there are several situations possible (some favorable, some unfavorable to the shooter), but no one knows for sure.
Some of the reports indicate that the victim was rattling the door knob, knocking or banging on both front and back doors.  These are all normal actions for someone who was confused and thought he was locked out of his own home, but would be quite alarming to the rightful occupants.
The Sheriff has stated that he did not think the man should have left the house, but it wasn't illegal either.  He is also quoted as saying there is no doubt the occupants felt threatened.
 
I can imagine two extremes that resulted in the shooting:  On one extreme, the shooter could have been nervous and ready to pull the trigger at the slightest twitch, which resulted in the death of an innocent man.  On the other extreme, the shooter may have given several commands to stop, displayed his weapon, backed up a few feet (i.e. retreated), and only shot when the man made some type of threatening motion (lunging, acting like he was pulling a weapon, ordering the dog to attack, etc).  In between these two extremes are myriad of possibilities, but we are left with an absence of information on which to judge.

Ya, I'm gonna go with this. Not enough information to say he did wrong or not, but there is a whole lotta room for this to be a good shoot or a bad shoot. Unless there is some solid, damning evidence that this guy acted in a criminal manner then I don't see him being charged. Investigating a trespasser on your own property isn't criminal.

[Hershmeister]

Even if he is not charged, thats still not the same as justified defensive shooting.

He will be hit hard with a wrongful death civil suit

[tnguy]

Tragic, avoidable but probably does not reach the level of criminal IMO.

[TMF]

Tragic, avoidable but probably does not reach the level of criminal IMO.

If anything this is one of them cautionary tales to learn from. I'm sure the shooter feels horrible about this and it will take a toll on his life. Add to that the civil suit that is sure to come.

[Peace]

.... Believe me, there is nothing outside worth dying over, and this could have went very bad for the shooter as well. Police are trained to handle situations like this and could have used other officers, K-9 and/or "less than lethal" methods to locate and apprehend the elderly gentleman. Most likely just another case of "Johnny shot quick" because he pizzed on himself out of fear when he encountered the old man. Just my opinion as I wasn't there.

A sad story indeed!

DaveS

Agreed... I actually think things did go very bad for the shooter. ... could've been worse, in a way.. time will tell.

[chances R]

We all agree this is an unfortunate situation and outcome.  It underscores the need for additional training, way beyond what a HCP course provides.  A misconception of most is that accuracy on a paper target is all that is needed.  For example, proper night technique, even with the use of a $30 light may have prevented this tragedy.  Hopefully as more exercise their right to carry, they also will seek additional training.

[DaveS]

One thing to remember is that the man may have been acting in an aggressive manner toward the shooter. If you have been around people with dementia you know that sometimes their confusion will lead toward aggressive behavior, even violent at times. I saw my dad go through some of this toward the end and it was not pretty. We don't know how the man may have been acting at the time.

That's why you stay inside until the police arrive.

 

Dave

[dawgdoc]

The Rainbow Push Coaltion is going to ask the deceased's family to join a lawsuit against Georgia's Stand You Ground law. I guess they can't let a tragedy go to waste.

[DaveTN]

If it’s true; I would try to keep that piece of information off the internet until a decision on whether or not the shooter is charged. It certainly won’t help him.

[dawgdoc]

It was already in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and on a Nashville news station.

[Patton]

I actually have a connection to both the victim and the shooter. Mr Westbrook had been really sick, he could no longer speak but had not shown any signs of aggression like a lot of dimenia patients do. I went to school with Hendrix, he was always polite and respectful, I never remember him trying to pick a fight or even getting into a fight. The last word I heard on Hendrix was years ago he fell sick and almost died in Iraq.

Something very interesting in this case was a week prior the fiancé had a belligerent man(younger) beating down her door at the residence. The sheriffs dept arrived within 10minutes but the guy got away, the reason I was told Hendrix had been staying there was because the fiancé felt the man may come back.

This is such a tragedy regardless but as a LEO I am not so sure I couldn't even be found in the same situation. One of the most dangerous calls I ever went to my light died right in the middle of the confrontation.

[DaveS]

I actually have a connection to both the victim and the shooter. Mr Westbrook had been really sick, he could no longer speak but had not shown any signs of aggression like a lot of dimenia patients do. I went to school with Hendrix, he was always polite and respectful, I never remember him trying to pick a fight or even getting into a fight. The last word I heard on Hendrix was years ago he fell sick and almost died in Iraq.

Something very interesting in this case was a week prior the fiancé had a belligerent man(younger) beating down her door at the residence. The sheriffs dept arrived within 10minutes but the guy got away, the reason I was told Hendrix had been staying there was because the fiancé felt the man may come back.

This is such a tragedy regardless but as a LEO I am not so sure I couldn't even be found in the same situation. One of the most dangerous calls I ever went to my light died right in the middle of the confrontation.

That explains a lot!

 

Dave

Edited December 7, 2013 by DaveS

[tnguy]

The sooner they find a cure for Alzheimers the better. It's one of the few things that scare the #### out of me. It's also taken away one of my favorite authors recently.

Edited December 8, 2013 by tnguy