Ravenwood - 12/03/03 07:00 AM
If you have blood pressure problems, you probably don't want to read this (this means you, Kim). A 71 year old Florida man has been jailed for using a firearm to stop an attack on his 63 year old friend. Not one, not two, but THREE men were beating a 63 year old man, when 71 year old Melvin Spaulding used his .22 caliber pistol to stop the melee. A 20 year old goblin was struck in the arm and hospitalized. (In a typical half-assed manner, the ages of the other two men were not reported.)
For defending his friend's life, Spaulding was arrested and is being held without bail. Pinellas County Sheriff's spokesman Tim Goodman had this to say about Mr. Spaulding:
"I'm sure he was concerned for his friend's safety...," Goodman said. "The use of a weapon to stop a confrontation is not the right way. He would have been better off calling 911."AUGH! Goodman deserves a swift kick in the gonads. The idea that Spaulding is supposed to just hang around waiting for the coroner to arrive while his friend is beaten by THREE young street toughs is incomprehensible. Spaulding did the right thing in helping his friend, but because he didn't rely on the all-knowing, almighty government for protection, he's being held without bail. There is no word on whether or not Mr. Spaulding will be charged with attempted murder, but the AP does report that the 20 year old assailant was arrested on an unrelated battery charge from earlier that night.
Category: Defending Your Life
Comments (11) top link me
AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!
Goddamit! WTF is wrong with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Dept.? What the hell is wrong with the County DA?
Diall 911 and DIE.
Posted by: Kevin Baker at December 3, 2003 9:54 AMSad thing is, more and more cities are invoking policies that disallow police officers to "run hot" to calls for fear or putting the public in danger. So you are getting your ass kicked, dial 9-11, and wait a good 30 minutes for the police officer to make his way through traffic. Stopping at all the red lights and stop signs.. What a wonderful society in which we live. Damn government is going to be the end of us.
Posted by: mays at December 3, 2003 10:50 AMThe local constabulary should all be reprimanded for discouraging law-abiding, gun-toting citizens from acting as good Samaritans.
Better yet, why not confiscate all sidearms from the police, and then ask them to go out on the streets and do their job? Then they'd know how people like myself feel. I live in a dangerous neighborhood in DC. I've been mugged. I will be spending 5 years in a federal, pound-me-in-the-ass penitentary if I'm caught with a gun. So I am now a virtual prisioner in my own home. I leave to go to work, and that's it.
I want the police to live for a week like that. They might change their tune real quick.
Posted by: Gregory Litchfield at December 3, 2003 12:00 PMdamn. I'll bet the guy wishes he had shot a few more times, though.... I KNOW I'd want to have caused at least one of the punkmotherfuckers some mortal pain.
Haven't they heard of the 2nd Amendment in FL??? Where's the NRA on this one??? Fuuuuuck.
Posted by: Jim S at December 3, 2003 1:08 PMHere's the Pinellas County Sherriff's Dept. website.
And here's some choice numbers from the contact list:
Speakers Forum (727) 582-6221 [email protected]
Sheriff Rice (727) 582-6721 [email protected]
Sheriff's Advisory Board (727) 582-6450 [email protected]
Spread the word, let your voices be heard. Let the Pinellas county Sherriff's office know what you think about them discouraging the exercise of 2nd amendment rights. Also, it wouldn't hurt to ask them if they intend to be held liable for the protection of every single person that enters the boundaries of their county. See what answer you get.
P.S. It always helps to be courteous, direct, and succinct. Spurious rants will only make them think that people that disagree with them are all nuts, which is only sort of true.
P.P.S. Never hurts to try and get Kim, Glenn, etc. to publicize this. If anyone's got an in, it'd be nice. Anything to get a 71 year old man out of jail he's been put in for no other reason than being an American.
Posted by: Aaron G. at December 3, 2003 1:48 PMMy GAWD!! What are those Cracker Ass Crackers thinking! Florida law clearly states the following relating to the use of force in a situation like this:
776.031 Use of force in defense of others.--A person is justified in the use of force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to prevent or terminate such other's trespass on, or other tortious or criminal interference with, either real property other than a dwelling or personal property, lawfully in his or her possession or in the possession of another who is a member of his or her immediate family or household or of a person whose property he or she has a legal duty to protect. However, the person is justified in the use of deadly force only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.
History.--s. 13, ch. 74-383; s. 1189, ch. 97-102.
I found this with relative ease and I am not a lawyer. As for our hero, he needs to get released so he can get some practice time. That was TERRIBLE shooting!
And, did you READ the article? Not only are they holding him without bail, THEY ARE CONSIDERING FILING ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES against him, too. WTF is happening in this country???
Victims are treated like felons, Crimimals are treated like like spolied little brats? Assault is a forcible felony, not just the "imminent commission" of one, and the use of deadly force is permissable under Florida law....
Too bad he didn't hit several of them in a better spot. I hear that the left eye is a good place for .22 a goblin shot...
Yes, I see these statements by the police every week here in Kalifornia. Didn't expect to see it from Florida. Vote.
Scott
Posted by: Scott at December 3, 2003 7:33 PMSent the sherriff's speakers forum an e-mail suggesting they apologize to the heroic citizen and to their community.
Posted by: Tadeusz at December 4, 2003 8:28 AMSpaulding has been released without having to pay bail. The 3 thugs have been arrested. There's a little more info on my website.
I'm trying to find out more. If necessary, I may set up a defense fund for Mr. Spaulding.
Posted by: Persnickety at December 4, 2003 2:48 PMAttempted murder charges will NOT be pressed against Mr. Spaulding!
Posted by: Persnickety at December 19, 2003 8:59 AM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
