›
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Someone Else Died

GreyHugeGreyHuge
edited September 2009 in Everything Else
Hopkins student kills thief with a katana.
What I take from this is two things
First, the thief (a repeat offender) had no right to be in the students rented house, who had been robbed not 4 hours previous. Second, a man is dead and that is a terribly sad thing.

My opinion is thus : While the student should not be punished for his actions, and he was fully within his rights to defend himself, that does not make what he did right.

Anyone else willing to offer up an opinion? I particularly want to hear from Katsu, who I understand is skilled in Kendo.
«1

Comments

  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited September 2009
    You're quick to form an opinion with basically no information about what actually happened.
    University of Maryland law professor David Gray said prosecutors must weigh whether Pontolillo thought he was in danger or became the aggressor. If he thought he might be severely harmed, then he was within his rights to protect himself, Gray said. "It doesn't matter if he used a gun, a sword or a frying pan."
    That's about as much as can be said.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • loltsundereloltsundere
    edited September 2009
    If swinging his weapon in order to defend himself from a potentially dangerous intruder - who is charging at him - is not the "right" thing to do in that situation, then what is? That boy didn't swing his sword with the coldblooded intent to kill, but with the intent to protect his home and himself. If he was purely defending himself, I don't think that anyone should tell him that what he did is wrong.
    Post edited by loltsundere on
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited September 2009
    The thief ran at a guy holding a sword..

    I sense a problem with this strategy.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited September 2009
    Sharp edged weapons, without training in their use, will always result in bad endings for one of the people involved. The student is pretty lucky it didn't turn out a lot worse for him.
    EDIT: Heh, I hadn't considered why the student had a katana in the first place. I guess he could well have had some training.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • VigaViga
    Protecting yourself is a basic move of anyone. The guy simply did that. I'm on the side that says he's has the right to do so.

    The real matter is how will the person deal with taking a life. How is his psyche now?
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    You're quick to form an opinion with basically no information about what actually happened.
    Sir, this is THE INTERNET.
  • ChurbaChurba
    With the 3- to 5-foot-long weapon in hand, Pontolillo crept toward the noise, police said. When a man inside lunged at him, police said, the confrontation was fatal.
    No wonder he killed the guy, he had a magical extending sword.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    My opinion is thus : While the student should not be punished for his actions, and he was fully within his rights to defend himself, that does not make what he did right.
    My opinion: I think you've been listening to Vash the Stampede too much.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Castle law.

    /thread
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    My opinion: I think you've been listening to Vash the Stampede too much.
    LOVE AND PEACE!!!
  • VigaViga
    Hmmm, you know not everyone or anyone owns a katana. So what's your guess? Geek hobbies or martial arts?
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    So what's your guess? Geek hobbies or martial arts?
    Let's be honest: Kendo meets BOTH of those requirements.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Not really, if someone knew kendo, you wouldn't use a steel sword against a burglar. It'd probably be a boken.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Not really, if someone knew kendo, you wouldn't use a steel sword against a burglar. It'd probably be a boken.
    I'd say it depends. I mean, Kendo is a sword art; the strikes taught with a bokken are sword strikes. If someone was very passionate about the sport and its history, owning a katana isn't much of a stretch, and obviously the steel edge-weapon will always be more intimidating to an intruder than the blunt practice "sword."
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Not really, if someone knew kendo, you wouldn't use a steel sword against a burglar. It'd probably be a boken.
    I remember Katsu once talked of his father (or maybe grand-father) wielding a real sword in a dojo.

    Also, a boken can be a very lethal weapon.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Also, a boken can be a very lethal weapon.
    An eyelash curler can be a lethal weapon, too. ^_~
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    It's more a case of someone who knows kendo knowing that, even if they own a katana, they would still pick up the boken which incapacitates people without killing them much more easily.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited September 2009
    Hmmm, you know not everyone or anyone owns a katana. So what's your guess? Geek hobbies or martial arts?
    I hadn't thought about that.
    If the guy had some kendo training, it's certainly going to weigh a lot heavier on him.
    It's more a case of someone who knows kendo knowing that, even if they own a katana, they would still pick up the boken which incapacitates people without killing them much more easily.
    He could've panicked, though.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • NuriNuri
    I am a fan of the "don't be too stupid to live" rule. If you break into someone's house, you should expect to be attacked and possibly killed. Don't fucking go places you aren't supposed to be.

    Even if they charge him, I see very little chance that this guy will get anything but a self-defense verdict.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited September 2009
    I am a fan of the "don't be too stupid to live" rule. If you break into someone's house, you should expect to be attacked and possibly killed. Don't fucking go places you aren't supposed to be.
    This also goes back to my "don't run at a guy with a sword" problem.

    Also: @Cheese: I honestly doubt someone who knew kendo thinking that it would be better to take a deadly weapon against an unknown intruder. It's much more likely that it's just some guy who thought it'd be cool to buy a katana.
    You might want to ask Katsu on this one.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • NuriNuri
    I am a fan of the "don't be too stupid to live" rule. If you break into someone's house, you should expect to be attacked and possibly killed. Don't fucking go places you aren't supposed to be.
    This also goes back to my "don't run at a guy with a sword" problem.
    Clearly this was an example of natural selection!
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Also: @Cheese: I honestly doubt someone who knew kendo thinking that it would be better to take a deadly weapon against an unknown intruder.
    Indeed. Panicking generally means not really thinking at all, however.
    It's much more likely that it's just some guy who thought it'd be cool to buy a katana.
    Yeah; that's why I didn't even consider it until Viga mentioned it. The possibility is there, though.
  • ChurbaChurba
    It's much more likely that it's just some guy who thought it'd be cool to buy a katana.
    Agreed - though, why does he have a Katana with a live blade?
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    It's much more likely that it's just some guy who thought it'd be cool to buy a katana.
    Agreed - though, why does he have a Katana with a live blade?
    Because he knew that one day he'd have to kill a man, and he wanted to do it with style.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Agreed - though, why does he have a Katana with a live blade?
    Because owning weapons isn't illegal in this country.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Why don't you have an automatic rifle?
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    Castle law.

    /thread
    Is it? States differ in how they treat self defense/defense of others/defense of property. Also, he killed the intruder. The majority rule is that deadly force can only be used in self defense when one is under the imminent apprehension of deadly force. Some states throw reasonableness of the apprehension into the mix.

    Don't go thinking that just because you find an intruder in your house you have carte blanche to kill him. Unless he's a zombie. It's per se reasonable to kill zombies in self defense.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited September 2009
    Zombies don't die or feel pain, so it's 100% fine.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • ChurbaChurba
    Because owning weapons isn't illegal in this country.
    Yes, and neither is being an enormous fat fucker, and look where that gets people.

    My point isn't that it's illegal or should be - were I American, You'd say that I'm a firm supporter of the second amendment - But if He bought it Just because he thought it was cool, or as something to show of, put on the mantelpiece, what have you - Why did he buy a Katana with a live blade, especially if he didn't know how to use it? It's not something that makes sense.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    Yeah, if the intruder had been a zombie, this story would not have been newsworthy at all.
Sign In or Register to comment.