In a nationally-publicized case, an argument over a Detroit pool game resulted in one of the players pulling a gun and shooting the other in the head; Keith Bender Jr. died of his injuries a week later. Unfortunately for the shooter, Bender was a cousin of the bar’s bouncer, Mario Etheridge, who pulled his own gun, and shot the shooter three times, allegedly in an attempt to protect his cousin’s life. The shooter, rap star “Proof,” known best for being the friend of a more famous rap star, litigation-victim Eminem, was dead on arrival at the hospital. Prosecutors have not decided whether to charge Etheridge with murder, since Michigan law allows deadly force in the defense of another. But they have charged Etheridge with a felony count of “discharging a firearm inside a building.” (Josh Grossberg, “Alleged Proof Victim Dies”, E!Online, Apr. 18).
Burden of Proof
In a nationally-publicized case, an argument over a Detroit pool game resulted in one of the players pulling a gun and shooting the other in the head; Keith Bender Jr. died of his injuries a week later. Unfortunately for the shooter, Bender was a cousin of the bar’s bouncer, Mario Etheridge, who pulled his own […]
One Comment
That’s just messed up. If the shooting was justified (self-defense), then punishing the correct and upright civilian for properly protecting (or attempting to protect, at least) another is morally indefensible.
However, if the act is deemed not to have been proper self-defense (or defnse of another), then “discharging in a building” charge is not really necessary, as thre’s a murder charge to press.
Basically, the only combination of charges that is absolutely ridiculous is the one combination they are going with.
Typical.