A man was shot the other night.
I know, I know.
I am sure you are asking, what's new about this? And the answer is nothing.
Except..... it (once again) shows how important it is to have the basic right to protect yourself, and those you love.
Here's the gist of the news report on the incident:
Metro Police say it appears that a man opened fire and shot another man in self defense during an attempted robbery at a downtown apartment complex.
Brian Blevins, 24, told police he was moving into a building near 16th and Pennsylvania on Sunday when he was approached by 38-year-old Christopher Hampton. Blevins said Hampton asked him if he had change for a $5 bill.
“The one guy said no the other guy said yeah let me go get it, it's in the apartment so he then followed him into the apartment, once they were in he pulled a gun out on them and ordered them into the back room,” said Sgt. Matt Mount of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department.
Police say Blevins kept his gun in a back room. He came out and opened fire shooting Hampton in the back.
Hampton was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yes it's sad.
And it didn't have to happen.
But what's a person to do when they are accosted in such a brazen and dangerous manner? Hampton obviously miscalculated and underestimated the resolve of a young kid who just wanted to get moved into a new place. You can't blame the protector and self-preservationist.
But before you feel too blue about this entire scenario, take a look at this story -- one that followed up:
24-Hour News 8 has uncovered more about an alleged armed robber who was shot and killed Sunday. We've learned that would-be robber was already being monitored with a GPS tracking device for other alleged crimes.
Christopher Hampton was wearing an ankle bracelet so officers could track his whereabouts. But when Hampton allegedly robbed two men Sunday afternoon, his GPS anklet wasn't working.
Hampton's rap sheet stands as proof that the 38-year old had a tough time staying out of jail. He has 10 convictions in 15-years, five of which are felonies.
Earlier this month he got in trouble again. He was accused of violating a no-contact order with his wife. A judge mandated he wear a GPS tracking device around his ankle.
So now that we have the rest of the story, it appears that this career thug just saved a lot of grief for a lot of people. He presented himself to someone who wasn't going to take it, someone who had a right to meet that objective (if confronted). On the other end of this process is a man who lost his battle with his inner-most demons, when he made that fateful choice.
Certainly, the man who was forced to pull this trigger and facilitate this act is responsible for a woman being able to sleep better at nights, knowing that this jerk will never threaten her again. But not only her, all of the future victims of his strong-armed tactics can now rest a little easier, even though they know not who they are.
Bottom line, no one will ever have to face this puke again.
Despite what seems like a case of a creep getting his just desserts, the man did have a name and a family. The day after this, a family member was on TV grieving and plainly in denial. He said that his brother was not there to rob anyone. He went on to say that he was there to buy drugs and the reason he knew this, was because his late brother had earlier made a statement that he needed to get some money----for drugs.
This isn't rocket science here, but I do struggle with this kind of thinking sometime.
Even at that, I am willing to bet that with this surviving sibling's words out in the open, the authorities will not heed his pleas and keep this investigation open any longer. Why should they?
And just to let you all know, if I had so happened to be the man who was forced to pull the trigger in this (or any other similar) instance, I would not exactly be beaming with radiant joy right now.
But make no mistake..... I would regret NOTHING.
14 comments:
this confused me:
“The one guy said no the other guy said yeah let me go get it, it's in the apartment so he then followed him into the apartment.."
Actually, the whole thing confuses me......I GUESS Hampton would have robbed and maybe killed Blevins and his friend but we don't know that....On the other hand, how could Blevins know he WOULDN'T be killed and how could he not protect himself? Maybe he should have shot Hampton in both legs or something?
It IS a tale of self preservation...I suppose if I'd been Blevins, I'd have done the same thing, except I probably wouldn't have invited him in for the change..!?
Okay...I guess he didn't INVITE him in, so...ya. Blevins acted in self preservation and I'd have done the same thing if I could.
No doubt the left will argue that Chris is simply a product of a violent, intolerant, racist society that placed him into the position of having to rob people for his daily dose of illegal substances.
In fact, the real problem is the leftists who contend that there are no absolutes, everyone is entitled to a second, third, fourth, or fifth chance. And the number of chances increases the further west one moves. The left believes there should be no consequences for unseemly behavior, and we see this reinforced over and over in our public schools.
Mr. Blevins finally held Mr. Hamilton accountable. I contend that Hamilton would still be alive if society had taught him that there are certain behaviors that we (society) simply will not tolerate.
But that's just my two cents.
Semper Fi
Z,
I didn't write on this when it first happened, because as you know the details are always a bit sketchy early on after something like this. But as more info comes out, it gets clearer that this was a situation that required a swift reaction. In this situation, there was not much time to ponder.
Shooting someone in the legs does not disable their arms or hands. Speaking personally, if someone shot me in the legs while I was armed, I would shoot back.
Mustang,
I agree with you. But more than society being a teacher, how about his family? They probably made excuses for him all of his life and by the time society had its chance to correct his behavior, a destructive pattern had already been established....enough that nothing society was willing to do would have any real effect on him.
LA..I forgot the important fact that Hampton WAS ARMED ..you're right. absolutely.
Blevins is lucky he doesn't live in Massachusetts. It would be the one time they'd really throw the book at someone!
More and more dirty harrys will keep showing up as long as the system remains broken. Same thing on the border--yet they (even Bush) called the Minutemen "vigilantes". Now even McCain is calling for the Army. They better wake up cause the bell is sounding.
//It would be the one time they'd really throw the book at someone!//
The latest Mel Gibson movie was set in Mass. The running joke in the movie was "everything is against the law in Mass." So, it would only stand to reason that Blevins would be up a creek right now.
//More and more dirty harrys will keep showing up as long as the system remains broken.//
Back in the old days in Italy, the cry was for the trains to run on time. It's still a metaphor, but it goes even deeper. Now that people are tired of having to play by rules when others don't, it's only a matter of time when this kind of thing will become a rallying cry for repealing stupid gun laws that punish those who obey the law..
Mustang,
I contend that Hamilton would still be alive if society had taught him that there are certain behaviors that we (society) simply will not tolerate.
I agree completely. In an odd sort of way, the left does have it right. It is society's fault that this man is like this. Not because we did not provide him with all of the entitlement programs we could imagine up but because we have these programs in the first place.
Entitlement programs go hand in hand with the victim mentality. People are owed health care, an income, a house, food, etc by society. Those that are not given what they "have a right to" are victims of a racist, sexist, (insert your favorite -ist here) society.
We (society) have failed this man. We did not teach him to stand on his own and be responsible for his actions.
LA's comment is well taken in that the responsibility lies with his family but the reality is that his family is a product of the same entitlement/victim society he was raised in because it has been with us for over 40 years. Since our War on Poverty.
//his family is a product of the same entitlement/victim society he was raised in because it has been with us for over 40 years. Since our War on Poverty.//
Very true. Which is precisely why, now is the time to break this destructive cycle. It won't be without some pain along the way. But the longer we let it go on, the harder it becomes to correct. At some point it will become irreparable.
Yep ...
Breaking the destructive cycle --one thug at a time. But the pain only lasts for a few minutes; until the thug expires.
Imagine a state law requiring every homeowner to own a handgun and attend appropriate training in firearms safety and employment. How many people do you think would remain in the house-breaking/burglary rackets? I have to laugh every time I see those ADT - Brinks home alarm commercials. By the time the telephone operator notifies police, the damage has been done.
Imagine a community that encourages citizens to carry a firearm. How many people would attempt an armed robbery at the local convenience store, or a car-jacking?
Semper Fi
//Imagine a community that encourages citizens to carry a firearm. How many people would attempt an armed robbery at the local convenience store, or a car-jacking?//
Hard to say, due the fact that as we have said many times before, there is no shortage of idiots.
But here's a bit of info for your data sack:
Wash DC has 2.5 time the murder rate of Miami. Both have gangs, both have drugs and thugs. The biggest difference I can come with is gun laws. Florida has a stand your ground law and DC won't even allow you to keep a pistol to protect your home.
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