Deputies: Dad fatally shoots teen boy found in daughter’s bedroom

[Catherine Vincent]

Deputies: Dad fatally shoots teen boy
found in daughter’s bedroom
by Larry Seward / KHOU 11 News
khou.com
Posted on March 13, 2014 at 6:22 AM

Updated today at 11:12 AM


HARRIS COUNTY, Texas -- A Spring-area dad fatally shot a teen boy he found in his daughter’s bedroom early Thursday morning, deputies said.

The shooting happened inside a home on Bridgestone Ridge near Bridgestone Path.

Harris County Precinct 4 Deputy Constables were the first to respond after someone called 911 around 2:30 a.m. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the shooting.

Investigators said the dad accused in the shooting woke up to find the male teen in his 16-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

“There was some type of altercation, and the father shot the male one time,” said Sgt. Ben Bell with the sheriff’s office. “The 17-year-old male is deceased inside the house.”

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Deputy-constables-Dad-shoots-teen-boy-found-in-daughters-bedroom-250041711.html

[COLGATE4]

1. This asshole will probably get

some type of NRA award for it.

[cabot]

2. Indeed

I feel bad for the kid and the girl that had to witness it. Americans (not all obviously) are just too damned gun-happy.

[COLGATE4]

4. This is even beyond 'gun happy'. A poor

16 year old with his hormones raging doesn't deserve a death sentence.

[cabot]

7. Not at all

I hope the guy is charged with murder but I'm not holding out much hope. I'm just relieved my parents weren't armed to the teeth when I sneaked friends into my house.

[COLGATE4]

17. Amen to that!!! nt

[hack89]

10. Assuming she invited him in, you are correct

if not - well that is a different matter.

[COLGATE4]

15. Certainly different but even so

I don't think do-it-yourself execution by Dad really fills the bill.

[hack89]

21. If it was actually an intruder

then the question is did he do anything threatening? What if the dad thought he or his daughter were in danger?

It will be interesting to hear what the daughter says. I suspect the dad is in big trouble.

[COLGATE4]

28. I agree that Dad is probably in a world of

hurt. Perhaps he can argue that all the meds he was taking clouded his judgement...

[SoCalMusicLover]

92. Popcorn & Loud Music Are Definite Threats

But that's only in Florida.

In Texas, a 16 year old teen making out with your daughter, is considered a lethal threat, worthy of the death penalty at the very least.

[SoCalMusicLover]

91. Daughter Will Cover For Dad

Blood is thicker than a vagina, so by the time this reaches court, the storyline will be one of self defense, and how the dead guy was somehow a threat.

[bettyellen]

127. you really want to make this about a 16 year old's vagina? WT Fing F?

[MADem]

128. What an odd post. And you know this...how?

Will she persuade her friends to lie, too? How about the lad's friends?

Just the verbiage about the vagina is some strange shit.

[Eleanors38]

185. Hey! This is a gunz discussion (GD)!

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. There is no sign of forced entry.

[hack89]

23. I think the dad is in big trouble. nt

[absquatulatewithme]

26. Should the dad worry?

Nah.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

41. He may be in big trouble for now but he isn't going to prison.

She could have invited him via gold embossed written invitation but the very nanosecond pops felt a little twinge of fear the kid became another victim of our kooky gun nut society.

[CatWoman]

146. of the house

or the girl?

[Kelvin Mace]

78. Also, how much pressure will be put on the girl

to declare the boy an intruder if he was in fact there for the usual reasons.

[hack89]

79. Good question nt

[tblue37]

142. She has already admitted he was her boyfriend and that she let him in. nt

[tblue37]

141. She admitted she did after he was shot--and after first lying about it. nt

[yuiyoshida]

181. YOu know I think Romeo and Juliet would have ended differently

If it was written in America, in the age of Guns.

[msanthrope]

190. You've seen Resevoir Dogs, right?? nt

[yuiyoshida]

191. I do remember that movie!

scared hell out of me!

[lumpy]

103. The girls hormones were probably raging also. Father fouled up many lives through his

false pride.

[COLGATE4]

114. No question about it. nt

[sibelian]

203. Whut... the FUCK?

What are you talking about?

The daughter tells him that there's a strange man in her bedroom, father attempts to defend his daughter, and this is PRIDE?

What on EARTH?

[sibelian]

207. Well, no probably not...

but... uuuh, I don't think people can really assume that apparently strange men in their daughters bedrooms that the daughter claims have no relation to her are to be brushed off as "hormone raging 16 year olds" so much as regarded with horror and suspicion as "some fucking weird creep that's got himself into my daughter's bedroom without her consent being obtained", since that what the daughter led the father to believe by washing her hands of the guy.

This entire thread is utterly fucked up.

I mean REALLY fucked up.

[mucifer]

154. I doubt it. Dad is black. He is more likely to go to prison.

[COLGATE4]

158. Seeing as it's Texas it's hard to tell. nt

[Aristus]

3. "Gotsta perteck th'virtue of our wimminfolk, dangit!"

Way to go, Texas...

[hack89]

9. Do Texans really speak like that? nt

[CreekDog]

12. were you offended

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. I was.

Especially given the circumstances of the case and the area where it happened.

[CreekDog]

27. why were you offended?

[ScreamingMeemie]

30. Because neither I nor my neighbors

talk like that. This is my neighborhood. I've yet to meet someone who talks like that here in this neighborhood.

[CreekDog]

33. have you complained to Jeff Foxworthy?

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. Does Jeff Foxworthy live next door to me?

You DO realize Jeff Foxworthy is from GA??? It's time for DUers to put down their little paintbrushes.

[CreekDog]

37. now you're offended because the redneck stereotype was applied to Texas

but if it were applied to Georgia, you'd be okay with that.

[ScreamingMeemie]

40. No. I'm offended because you made a broadbrush statement against a place

you've never even been to...my neighborhood. Nothing funny about that.

I typically enjoy and support your posts, but you stepped in it this time.

[Paladin]

56. +1. Thank you. (nt)

[CreekDog]

89. i didn't say anything about Texas, if you're agreeing with her then you seem to be as confused

...confused as she is.

[Paladin]

97. There's no confusion involved, here. (nt)

[Anansi1171]

58. Honestly, when you encounter even mild stereotyping of others(e.g. blacks), how do you respond?

Just asking honestly, and not trolling. It is difficult for me to understand how you do not have a thicker-skin.

[ScreamingMeemie]

88. Go search my responses when we were discussing

a school's decision to provide watermelon and fried chicken lunches for "Black History Month."

I will defend anyone's right not to be stereotyped. Thank you.

[CreekDog]

87. How can you be offended by something I never said?

I didn't say anything about Texas.

What's your problem?

There are enough offensive things said on DU without having to invent things to put in my mouth.

[TeeYiYi]

112. Alerting...

...KIDDING!

TYY

[hack89]

18. I just didn't think African Americans talked like that.

hence my question.

[CreekDog]

22. Oh, you think African Americans talk a certain way?

how interesting.

[hack89]

24. They certainly don't talk like white red necks. nt

[Bonx]

48. Ha, that's just not true.

The country folk - black & white - who live near me sound exactly the same.

[penultimate]

76. Heh... Actually, I've known a couple African Americans who grew up in small east texas towns

who talk exactly like your stereotypical white redneck in Texas. Although, I don't think the way of talking above sounds like any Texans I've came across and I've been here for about 7 years now.

[tammywammy]

44. Lived in Texas my whole life.

I don't know anyone that speaks like that. I mean golly gee, we even have those fancy book learning schools! The way some people portray Texas & the south is that we're all ignorant bigots with barely a high school education.

tammywammy - Lives in Texas, works for a Fortune 100 company, getting a graduate degree.

[narnian60]

49. +100

[Springslips]

129. Regional stereotyping has got to stop.

It drives me crazy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. The father is African American for the record.

So I think we can throw out redneck stereotyping at this point.

[Aristus]

14. Sorry. One reads 'Texas', 'gun', and 'shooting',

and the imagination takes over from there...

[CreekDog]

42. but i think we can retain the stereotyping of overreacting, overprotective fathers who...

...shoot first and ask questions later.

or would that be offensive stereotyping of overprotective fathers who shoot first and ask questions later?

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. Yes we can. And we can also agree that they live all over.

Or we can keep trying to reframe something regretful that we may have said.

[Eleanors38]

187. Thank you. Some feel they have a license to smear...

others if they don't comport with some innertube-derived standard of Perfect Liberalism.

[Nye Bevan]

64. So if. as you claim, this is not your attempt to imitate African-American speech patterns,

you might want to consider deleting that post.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Was the teen boy an assailant or the daughter's boyfriend?

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. This has happened in my neighborhood. So far, "word" has it the daughter

claimed she did not know the boy. Others say she is fibbing. There is no sign of forced entry. The father claims the boy reached for something, so he shot him.

This is secondhand through local social media. I will say, it is a teachable moment for my own teenage son.

For the record, this area is extremely diverse with regard to nationality, politics, and race. We should all wait and see, which is what I am telling my neighbors.


Update from noon news... The daughter let him in, the younger brother saw his feet under the bed when he went to say goodnight, and went and got his dad. The daughter initially claimed she didn't know him. The family had just moved in to the neighborhood.

[COLGATE4]

19. Bet you what the boy was reaching for

wasn't a gun...

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. Yup.

[SoCalMusicLover]

93. Daughter Will Stick With Dad's Story

Do you really think she'll admit to inviting the boy into her room? Especially when she realizes that implicates her father and puts him in danger of going to jail.

Never met him, never saw him.....no idea who he is.

[ScreamingMeemie]

94. She already admitted she let him in.

It's in the linked video and also the video of two other news channels.

[riderinthestorm]

8. Doesn't say in the article. nt

[tblue37]

143. Boyfriend. She later admitted to having let him in. nt

[magical thyme]

20. the first thought that popped into my head when I read the headline

is that I've been waiting to see this headline. It hadn't been a conscious thought before. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I guess I've been expecting it.

[Heidi]

29. My first thought was: "Texas? Or Oklahoma?" (nt)

[ScreamingMeemie]

32. This is not the stereotypical Texas story for the record.

This is a situation that could happen in any state.

[CBGLuthier]

39. What was your second thought?

Was it about how judgmental and prejudiced your first thought was?

[Heidi]

148. I'm from Oklahoma, so it's more experience than sheer judgment.

But thanks for your judgment.

P.S. My second thought was, "Arkansas?" (I was born there.)

[LittleBlue]

31. If I ever have a son

He brings his girlfriend back to our house, not the other way around. These crazy fathers lose their shit.

RIP

[PowerToThePeople]

59. I can remember being a teenager

Her parents pull up in the driveway. I go running out the back, jumping off the 2nd floor deck, hop over the neighbor's fence, and scramble through several yards to my long walk home.

I think I am going to tell my son exactly what you say here.

[Xithras]

34. They had only lived there a week and the daughter claimed that she didn't know the boy.

I'll reserve judgement until more details come out. This could be an overzealous father and a lying daughter, or it might have been an interrupted rape attempt. There's no way to know based on the details we have so far.

[ScreamingMeemie]

36. More details have come out per the news.

Keep refreshing that page and the video changes:

Daughter let the boyfriend in.
Brother went to say goodnight and saw feet under the bed
Brother went and got dad.
Daughter claimed, at first, she didn't know him.
Victim "lowered his hands" and the father thought he was "reaching for something"

So, he shot him. This is all backed up by local reports available online.

[Catherine Vincent]

75. Thanks for the update!

[SoCalMusicLover]

95. All Sorts Of Reasonable Doubt

Hire an attorney, get a good Texas gun friendly jury, and he'll be off without any jail time or even community service.

Then he'll get a paid speaking gig at the next NRA convention in Texas.

[ScreamingMeemie]

100. No, he will probably not be asked to speak at the next NRA convention.

Also, I do get called for jury duty you know. As do others in Houston... a city that happens to have elected a Democratic mayor who is also a woman in a committed relationship with another woman. Yeah... we've evolved. Thanks.

[MineralMan]

38. Well, I'm an old geezer, but when I was a teenager,

I knew better than to be caught in my girlfriend's bedroom. She knew better, too. When we wanted to fool around together, we went somewhere else. Seemed like the wisest thing to do to both of us.

Dad's are not always rational when it comes to their daughters.

[B Calm]

45. +1 Common Sense

[MineralMan]

47. Is Uncommon, indeed.

I learned common sense from my father, who still has it in abundance at age 89.

[B Calm]

55. My dad lived to ninety and

he had common sense too. Seriously, you don't see people using common sense too much anymore. Look at all the voters out there working for a paycheck and voting Republican.

[JI7]

50. that's why they should not keep a gun around, my guess is this father is known

to be very strict with his daughter which is why she denied knowing the boy .

usually the father would kick the guy out . the parent and daughter would get into some huge argument . maybe some punishment like not being able to go out for a while. daughter refuses to speak to parents. but there is a point where everything goes back to normal.

i bet the father would have been ok if it was his son who had a girl in his room .

[MineralMan]

52. Well, I've never been one for confrontations.

So, my girlfriend and I found many ways to avoid such confrontations. It wasn't all that difficult, really.

[Skittles]

53. yes, they are not rational

ESPECIALLY when they are gun humping assholes

[MineralMan]

54. OK. As you say.

I still would not have ever been caught in my girlfriend's bedroom. So easy to avoid, really. I may have been an idiot in many ways in my teen years, but I was not a self-destructive idiot.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

65. Yeah yeah, we get it. You were a special teenager.

A classic example of "the older I get, the better I was".

Victim blaming bull shit is what it is.

[MineralMan]

71. No, I wasn't special. Just careful.

Someone's dead. I blame the person holding the gun. It wasn't necessary to shoot the kid in any way.

Thanks for your feedback, though.

[Skittles]

68. this isn't about YOU

[MineralMan]

70. Oh, OK. Thanks for letting me know.

[Skittles]

81. you're welcome!

[JI7]

111. some parents are ok with it like Sarah Palin so it depends on many things

i kind of wonder if the father put many restrictions on his daughter which made it difficult to get away and just go out somewhere else with the boy. so she snuck him inside his room.

[madinmaryland]

132. No. He was not rational at the time. He saw his daughter about to get raped (or so he thought) and

he snapped. Unfortunately he had a gun and used it. The article also indicated they had just moved to the neighborhood a week earlier.

As I say, he was a responsible gun owner until he wasn't.

[MattBaggins]

138. How does this excuse murder?

How is this different than saying that a woman shouldn't be out alone at night?

[MineralMan]

164. It excuses nothing. Nor did I say it did.

[Drahthaardogs]

145. My daughter had a love for "bad boys"

I caught one sneaking into the house one night. I did not know who he was. It could have gotten very bad. At 3 AM when someone is crawling through your windows, anything can happen.

[Lurks Often]

46. The daughter should be charged

First she sneaks a 17 year old male in very late at night and it is safe to say that she knew the parent(s) would not approve.
and Second and most importantly, when confronted by her father she lies and says she doesn't know the 17 year old male that was hiding under the bed.

At that point, the father tells the 17 year old, that his daughter says she did NOT know, not to move and when fails to comply, the father shoots him.

The daughter is the one at fault here, the 17 year old would still be alive if she hadn't lied.

[upaloopa]

51. Charged with what being a typical teen caught

with a boy friend in bed?

[Lurks Often]

57. It was her lying that led to the 17 yr olds death

If she had been honest with her father, that poor kid would still be alive.

While she should not be charged with murder, a lesser charge should be considered.

[upaloopa]

104. A teen lying is not a crime and the shooter is

responcible for the death. What set of laws do you live by?

[Lurks Often]

123. Pretty much the same ones the rest of the sane people follow:

When confronting someone at 2 in the morning that my daughter says she doesn't know, he is going to be considered an intruder.

And yes lying is against the law, depending on who you lie to.

[upaloopa]

131. Do you own guns? Do you carry them?

[blueamy66]

155. I'm thinking a civil case could be brought against her by the parents of the slain boy.

What do you think?

on edit: She is only 17. Would that make her parents responsible for a judgment against her?

[Lurks Often]

159. I don't know, the legal arguments will be interesting

Under Texas Castle doctrine law, if the father is brought before a Grand Jury and the Grand Jury no bills him, he is immune from a civil suit.

In theory the daughter can be sued for her actions, but since she is a minor and presumably has no significant financial assets, the parents would be the ones liable, but since they are immune.........

I don't know. You might see the homeowners insurance company settle out of court with the parents of the 17 year old kid. The insurance company avoids the risk of a jury trial and the parents avoid the risk of getting nothing and maybe having to pay attorney's fees to bring suit.

[blueamy66]

163. Interesting.

Thanks for the info.

[Mojo Electro]

106. Because of her lie which resulted in his death.

Had she not lied, the boy would likely be alive. She turned a boyfriend she brought home to an intruder from her father's point of view. I'm not defending the father at all, but a large portion of the blame lies with her. She invited the boy into her bedroom and then denied knowledge of him when confronted by her armed father. She is at least as responsible for his death as her trigger happy father is.

[upaloopa]

107. No he is dead because the dad shot him!

She lied not a crime. He killed a crime.

[Niceguy1]

113. her lie led to the situation

And if Bush is criminal for lining, shouldn't she?

[upaloopa]

115. The dad killed the kid get it!

He is responcible for his actions. Someone lying to you does not give you the right to shoot someone. I can't believe I have to explain this!

[Niceguy1]

118. her lie led

Her father to believe thatb he was an intruder when gave the impression of danger. There is no doubt if she fessed up that he was invited the scene would have been different

[upaloopa]

119. No no no

His defense in court is my daughter lied so I shot the kid!

[Niceguy1]

120. that one lie

Will be crucial to the case...

Its common sense that a parent will react differently to a friend vs an intruder

[Mojo Electro]

122. You act like it happened in a vacuum...

Like the dad and the boy were just floating in space and he pulled out a gun and shot him. You honestly can't see how she bears any responsibility for setting up this shit show? That's BS. Her selfish decisions led directly to this boy's death.

[sibelian]

173. I somewhat agree.

I suspect Dad understandably over-reacted and that Daughter also, possibly understandably, over-reacted.

I think this is a constellation of errors, not necessarily a story polarisable into narratives that confirm biases...

[Mopar151]

61. What the hell is she supposed to do?

With Daddy Dearest running all his best lines from his Samuel L Jackson/ Pulp Fiction persona, and a houseful of screamin' idiots? She has to cast bread upon the waters and broker a diplomatic solution, or it's all her fault? She's a 17 year old girl - it's their job to do dumb shit and get into trouble.

[Lurks Often]

63. I didn't realize you were a eyewitness to what happened

"With Daddy Dearest running all his best lines from his Samuel L Jackson/ Pulp Fiction persona, and a houseful of screamin' idiots?"

When her father comes in with a gun and asks if she knows who the 17 yr old under the bed was, she should not have lied and said she didn't know him.

[Mopar151]

69. It's right there in the Dad Job Description

"Keeps shirt on. Assesses situation, initiates staged de-escalation. remains responsible adult."

or, to put it offical Clint Eastwood terms: "It's the cool head that wins the fight, not the hot hand." (Little Billy, The Unforgiven)

[morningfog]

74. The dad sounds like the kind who could have shot the

Daughter if she told the truth. There is one person and one person only to blame, the asshole dad.

[Lurks Often]

85. Didn't know you read minds

The father confronts a 17 year old male in his daughter's bedroom, that she says she doesn't know and shoots him when he reaches for something after being told not to move.

Since you're so smart, how is the father supposed to know his daughter was lying to him?

[morningfog]

108. You don't lurk often enough.

I am astounded that anyone could try to blame the daughter in this.

[Lurks Often]

124. Her lie caused the father to think the 17 year old was an intruder

not an amorous boyfriend. If she had been honest, there is a very good chance he would be alive today.

[morningfog]

139. I don't follow the gun threads anymore.

Are you one of the gun nuts?

[TeeYiYi]

72. The 17 year old would still be alive if he hadn't been hiding under the bed...

...or if he'd come in through the front door and announced his presence in the first place.

That said, the father is the only one to blame here.

re: "The daughter is the one at fault here, the 17 year old would still be alive if she hadn't lied."

TYY

[Lurks Often]

90. The 17 year old would still be alive if the daughter hadn't lied about knowing him. n/t

Father confronts a 17 year old male at 2:20am in his daughter's bedroom, that she denies knowing and the father's at fault? Can't say I follow the logic there.

If the daughter denies knowing the 17 year old male, WTF is the father supposed to think, the kid's selling newspaper subscriptions at 2am?

[TeeYiYi]

110. The 17 year old would still be alive...

...if the father hadn't used lethal force against an unarmed teen. The girl's opinion is irrelevant in this situation.

Don't get me wrong. I have, and use guns.

I don't give a pass to trigger happy cops and I can't give a pass to this father, regardless of the daughter's opinion. Her opinion of the situation means nothing. It was the father's responsibility, as a gun wielding adult, to assess the situation and make a life or death decision. He made his decision. He has to live with that split second decision and be accountable for his actions.

"Honey, should I shoot him? Do you know him? Is he a friend of yours? Is he armed? Sweetie, should I pull the trigger?...What do you think, honey? I've got a gun here, should I use lethal force against the threat? Did he threaten you?...What's your decision, honey? Should I?..."

TYY

[Lurks Often]

125. I have taken use of force courses and understand the laws behind use of force

He was told by his son that someone was in his daughter's room at 2 am, he goes into the room and when questioned his daughter states she doesn't know who the person is. He tells the 17 year old not to move, the 17 year old fails to listen, drops his hands as if to reach for something and is then shot. That's not trigger happy.

[TeeYiYi]

130. I wonder how much the son knew...

...and whether he was just trying to get his sister in trouble.

It's a sad situation all around.

TYY

[TeeYiYi]

136. Another thing...

The kid was hiding under the bed. Clearly, the kid was not hiding from the girl, who was already aware of his presence, so who was he hiding from? He was hiding from the parents. She probably told him to hide under the bed.

He wasn't on top of the bed, molesting the girl or tying her up. He was hiding from the girl's family. If the girl felt threatened, did she run from the room when help arrived?....

The girl knew who was in her room. The brother likely knew his sister had a boyfriend in her room. The father showed up to a non-lethal situation with deadly force.

It was the father's responsibility to be...ermmm....responsible. He brought a gun to a fist fight.

TYY

[Lurks Often]

149. Again, the daughter told the father that she did not know the 17 year old

which means the father had no reason to believe the 17 year old was anything but an intruder and he responded accordingly.

[morningfog]

73. Well that is just stupid.

[Lurks Often]

86. Thank you for your insightful analysis of what happened n/t

[morningfog]

109. It's far more insightful that your want to blame the girl.

Why do you hate young women?

[sibelian]

170. What on EARTH?

The girl tells a flat out lie about someone she had no right to invite into a the house without the knowledge and permission of her parents in the first place, OBVIOUSLY the father's going to think "What the fuck is this guy's intentions towards my daughter, is his likely to RAPE HER" reacts in an ENTIRELY understandable way in trying to keep his daughter safe from someone IN HER BEDROOM that she says she doesn't know and opointing out that her behaviour is idiotic leads to the supposition that somebody HATES YOUNG WOMEN?

I'm sorry, I don't follow your reasoning here at all. Perhaps you can indicate to me how indicating that the actions of a young woman that lead to the death of someone whom she gave the other involved parties every reason to beleive was a direct threat to her were FUCKING STUPID is to be taken as a general position on young women?

[renate]

77. I think she's at fault too

The phrase "throwing someone under the bus" is overused but it's what she did here. (Not to imply she had evil intent... she was just a scared kid too.) I mean, the father is the one who did the shooting, but if I found a stranger in my daughter's bedroom and I was, essentially, told that he had broken in, I would find it pretty hard not to do something about it. A calm, rational person would decide, "hey, there may be more to the story than this" or "he's not doing anything right now, let's call the police," but who is calm and rational if they think their home has been broken into and their child attacked? I think this story is an example of why having a gun as an anti-burglar device is a terrible idea, but I don't actually blame the father for believing his daughter was in danger.

Really, I think the moral of this very sad event is not either that the father was a trigger-happy monster or a parent who made an honest mistake, but that people make horrible split-second mistakes with guns.

[upaloopa]

117. I guess he could not have held the kid at gun point and call 911

He had to shoot because guns

[Petrushka]

175. He did call 911 . . . after his daughter said she didn't know the young man under her bed. (n/t)

[upaloopa]

178. But he didn't trust the police so he decided he'd better shoot

Because guns.

[CVN-68]

182. No, because he didn't comply when told by the father to stay still,

he dropped his hands as if going for something and the father, whom the daughter had told him she didn't know the boy, perceived a threat and shot the boy.
Who knows, at 2:30 in the morning, same circumstances? Any one of us might have reacted the same way.

If the daughter had just told the truth in the first place, none of us would be reading about this tragic incident.

[upaloopa]

183. Not me I don't carry a gun

Now if the father didn't have a gun the kid would still be alive.
Here is the thing. People who carry guns see the world through a whole different paradigm then the rest of us. Gunners foresee a need to shoot thus they buy and carry a gun. Most people don't foresee a need to shoot and don't buy and carry guns.

[CVN-68]

186. How do you know the kid would still be alive if the father didn't have a gun?

One strike with a Louieville Slugger in the right place will kill a human, or a knife.
The point is that if the daughter hadn't lied about not knowing the boy, this would all be moot.

So far, from what I've read in the article, I'll be the Grand Jury will no bill him.

[Petrushka]

195. Really?

[Vashta Nerada]

133. That's like blaming a rape on a rape victim.

[Lurks Often]

150. She lied to her father and made him believe the 17 year old was an intruder

If she had told the truth, that kid will still be alive today.

And your analogy is flawed, the daughter wasn't the victim in this tragedy.

[sibelian]

171. ?

Seems to me it's like blaming a liar for the consequences of their actions. What, are we supposed to believe that this young woman is morally imbecilic? Why, because she's female? Yeah, very progressive. Obviously the father is going to fear for her safety, she's telling him there's a weird guy she doesn't know in her bedroom, the father tries to protect her and he's somehow the bad guy? WTF, indeed.

How is it like blaming a rape victim for their rape?

I'm not at all convinced that she should be charged with anything but I can't understand your response at all.

[Vashta Nerada]

174. What's hard to understand?

The father shot and killed an innocent man. He pulled the trigger. He killed.

A teenage girl lied? The horror! I thought they never lie!!!!!!! 111111111

[sibelian]

202. Er...

Once again, how is expecting her to take responsibility for her actions like blaming a rape victim for being raped?

That's the bit I don't understand. The comparison with rape.

Also, I think it's what she lied about and the context within which that lie took place that's the significant thing.

"The father shot and killed an innocent man" - Well, that's very tabloidish and exciting, but it's not REEEEEAAALLY what happened, is it?

What's happened here is that the father shot and killed someone whom he was led to believe by the daughter was an intruder in her bedroom. This being the case, it's a little difficult to suppose that the teenage daughter's lie is some kind of silly teenage "oh you know how GIRLS are" thing when what's actually happened is that she's invited someone into the house without the hosue owner's knowledge, a person that she can't possibly have known for more than week as she hadn't lived there for more than a week and then washed her hands of him in front of her father while the father was holding a gun such that the only possible interpretation of the situation open to the father was that ther was a strange man in his daughter's bedroom. Are we going to suppose that the father's gun was invisible?

So there, you see, it's THAT kind of lie.

Perhaps we should send a memo round to fathers all over the country that if they discover men WITH their daughters in their daughter's bedrooms without any indication that the consent of the daughter to his presence in her bedroom has in fact been obtained that they really ought to consider whether or not the daughter is telling a playful teenage fib and her and the man she has described as a stranger that has no relation to her is actually a secret boyfriend.

And that when said man reaches for something out of sight of the father, that he's just, you know, going to tie his shoelaces or something.

[CVN-68]

205. And, the latest update says that the boy was actually in bed with her,

not under the bed as first reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/14/charges-unlikely-for-houston-dad-accused-shooting-daughters-boyfriend/?intcmp=trending

He reportedly found the teen in bed with his daughter and confronted him. His daughter apparently told him she did not know the boy

.

[Gravitycollapse]

134. Congratulations, that's the dumbest thing I've heard on here all day.

I wish we could hand out medals.

[morningfog]

140. What should she be charged with?

I don't think you have thought this through. Or you don't understand law.

[Lurks Often]

151. A lot would depend on the exact wording of Texas law

but maybe negligent manslaughter or criminal negligence. Her lie led to the death of that 17 year old and she needs to be held responsible for the consequences of that.

[morningfog]

153. Lol. And would this be instead of or in addition to the dad?

[Lurks Often]

156. If the story at the link was accurate, a Grand Jury is probably going to no bill him. n/t

[morningfog]

157. You didn't answer my other question. Are you one of the gun nuts?

I usually avoid gun threads, so I don't know who's who.

It would help explain your position if you are one of the gun rights posters.

[Lurks Often]

160. Your question is irrelevant, which is why I haven't answered it

This thread is about whether the father's actions were criminal under Texas law and the facts that led up to him shooting the 17 year old male.

[morningfog]

177. What is your position on gun rights?

It is very relevant to understanding why you want to shift ALL blame from the shooter to a witness.

[Lurks Often]

194. What is relevant is that if the daughter had not lied

the father would not have treated the 17 year old as an intruder. Her lie contributed to what followed.

If she had said "I know him" or "I let him in" or"He's a friend/my boyfriend" that kid would be alive.

I want to understand why you think a father confronting an unknown intruder in his daughter's bedroom, that fails to comply with the father's orders not to move, shouldn't consider that person a threat

[morningfog]

198. It seems safe to assume you are towards the gun nut side since you are dodging.

That explains why you want to blame ANYONE but the shooter. So transparent.

"Fails to comply with father's orders" Yep. tells me all I need to know there.

[Lurks Often]

211. Thanks for the proof that you rather go with your pre-conceived biases

instead of objectively viewing the applicable laws and what happened that night.

I am perfectly willing to blame the shooter if the facts support placing the blame on him or her.

[morningfog]

214. Of course you are. Lol.

[flvegan]

144. LOL! Can we have a Stupid Post of the Day Award for this one please?

[penultimate]

165. The father lacked common sense and reasoning abilities...

The kid was hiding under the bed and the father was armed. At that point all he had to do was call the police if the daughter was not coming clean. Eventually the truth would have came out and the kid would be alive, and this guy wouldn't have to live with the fact he killed his daughter's 17 year old boyfriend.

[Lurks Often]

167. The link lacks enough detail to determine

whether the kid was still under the bed when he was shot. That doesn't change that the father had every reason to believe that there was an intruder in his daughter's room at 2am, who failed to comply with his instructions not to move.

That kid would be alive today if his daughter had told the truth

[Petrushka]

189. He did call 911 . . . when his daughter said she didn't know the young man under her bed. However:

Before the police arrived---and despite being held at gunpoint by someone who'd just been awakened from sleep at 2:30 in the morning---the young man became aggressive enough to start arguing and, when he lowered his hands and moved as though he was reaching for something, the father instinctively reacted to what he perceived to be a threat to either his daughter or himself.

Perhaps, as you said, "The father lacked common sense and reasoning abilities." But, so did the young man. And, yes, as you said, "Eventually the truth would have come out and the kid would be alive...." if he had only kept his hands up until the police arrived.

Tragic!

[penultimate]

196. I suppose we'll see how it plays out in court.

I'm curious why the daughter would deny knowing him at that point.

[CVN-68]

197. Highly doubt it's going to court.

Prosecutor has already said that charges are unlikely and it's very doubtful that the Grand Jury will vote to indict.

[penultimate]

199. Yeah, I just read that...

Still unsure how I feel about this. Unless there is evidence he was about to get violent, it still seems wrong. I hope they are really looking into the whole story too. It could also be that the girl is just saying she denied knowing the guy, and that the shooting took place during a heated argument over her boyfriend being there. Which seems very plausible to me, because I don't understand why the daughter would continue to deny knowing him... He apparently called the police, aye? I wonder if they have the shooting and events leading up to it on tape.

[CVN-68]

201. According to the most recent update, the boy was actually in bed with her,

not under the bed as first reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/14/charges-unlikely-for-houston-dad-accused-shooting-daughters-boyfriend/?intcmp=trending

He reportedly found the teen in bed with his daughter and confronted him. His daughter apparently told him she did not know the boy.

I think it's reasonable for the dad to assume that his daughter was being sexually assaulted, considering that the daughter kept telling him she didn't know the boy, it's 2:30 in the morning.

I can't for the life of me figure out why the daughter admit that she knew the boy and had let him in, if she had been honest, this kid would, in all likelyhood, still be alive.

Tragic all the way around.

[penultimate]

206. If I saw a boy in my daughter's bed, my first thought wouldn't be to grab a gun though

unless I had reason to believe to it was an actual assault. How many people have been caught in their girlfriends/boyfriends rooms without being shot?

[CVN-68]

208. If I had reason to believe that there was an unknown stranger in my daughter's rooom,

at 2:30 in the morning, I would grab my weapon and confront the intruder and ask WTF is this.
If my daughter denied knowing the stranger, I'm going to believe her and hold him at gun point waiting for the police to arrive, if the intruder makes an aggresive move towards me, then all bets are off.

If only she had been honest from the beginning, this boy would probably still be alive.

I think most fathers would react in much the same way in the same circumstances, whether with a firearm, baseball bat, knife, whatever's handy

[gollygee]

166. Oh, please

Father of teenage girl finds teenage boy in her bedroom hiding under the bed, father knows teenage boy is girl's boyfriend regardless of what she says. I'm sure he'd love an excuse for killing this kid though.

[Lurks Often]

168. That kid would be alive today if the daughter hadn't lied

It is very simple, the father had every reason to believe that there was an intruder in his daughter's room at 2am, who failed to comply with his instructions not to move.

[gollygee]

169. I don't buy it

I think it's more likely he was looking for an excuse to shoot him and didn't honestly believe he was an intruder. We'll see if there's a trial and what evidence is available to the jury.

[Lurks Often]

212. And what facts that we are aware of support your theory? n/t

[penultimate]

200. It's also possible she is lying to protect her father...

If she says she insisted she didn't know him and he was there to harm her, then that gives the father room to get out of it.

[Lurks Often]

213. There are posts up thread that indicate the daughter

changed her story after the 17 year old was shot and admitted to knowing him

[NobodyHere]

176. What makes you think

that the father knew the teenage boy was his daughter's boyfriend?

[FarCenter]

60. Medications?

No other injuries were reported, but the father was transported to the hospital to be checked out for medical reasons as he complained that he was not feeling well. Constables said the man appeared to be on several medications.

[Sheepshank]

66. "....he complained that he was not feeling well"

ya, I'd be sick to my stomach too.

[AverageJoe90]

62. Lock this guy up and throw away the key. n/t

[MO_Moderate]

67. "There was some type of altercation..."

The results of that will determine who was in the wrong.

[meadowlark5]

82. The dad will just say he felt like his life or daughter's was threatened

and off he'll go. Unless something different happened and the daughter says anything contrary to that. I will bet dollars to donuts this asshole goes free.

[SoCalMusicLover]

101. And A Lawyer Will Get Paid To Give That Exact Argument

First there is the formality of a trial in front of 12 of his gun loving peers in Texas.

[bigdarryl]

83. Was the Boy black?

[FarCenter]

84. The boy and the girl's father were both black.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/deputies-dad-shoots-kills-boy-in-teenage-daughters-bedroom/-/1735978/24952992/-/mdx7v1/-/index.html

[SoCalMusicLover]

98. The Good 'Ol "I Saw Him Reach For Something" Defense

The defense which cannot be refuted merely by proving that there was NOTHING being reached for.

The defense which cannot be refuted by the victim, who is dead and buried.

[Cali_Democrat]

102. Well....when I got caught in my girlfriend's bedroom....

her dad gave her condoms the next day....

That was nice of him.

This guy? Not so nice...

[Pisces]

105. This girl is going to need therapy for the rest of her life.

[ScreamingMeemie]

121. Again, this is a relatively diverse area.

Houston is not your grandparent's Texas anymore in a lot of ways. The old guard has been dying out.

[Jackpine Radical]

126. I bet she has trouble getting dates after this.

[In_The_Wind]

137. That's the understatement of the year.

[scarletwoman]

135. Oh no! You mean they DID pass Sharia Law in Texas? (nt)

[PowerToThePeople]

147. Confiscate ALL guns, melt them down. Life in prison for holdouts.

No one in this country should have a lethal firearm without having checked it out from the National Guard for training purposes. All privately owned weapons need to be turned in and melted. Anyone caught with weapons after this law gets life in prison.

[Lurks Often]

152. You understand there is no chance of that happening don't you? n/t

[NobodyHere]

161. The private prison industry applauds this

[CVN-68]

184. Do the words "Fairy tales" ring any bells?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

188. Here...

...you might need this.

[Eleanors38]

192. Nope. No power to you. nt

[Dr. Strange]

216. Nice post, PowerToThePolice.

[hooptie]

172. The daughter could be tried for manslaughter.

It is not unprecedented in Texas.

A few years ago, a man came home from a card game and found a man having sex with his wife. She cried "RAPE!" and the husband shot the "rapist" to death. Eventually, it came out that the woman had been having an affair with the deceased, she was then indicted for manslaughter.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-31-womanindicted_N.htm

She was later convicted of manslaughter.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/05/03/woman-who-falsely-cried-rape-convicted-manslaughter/

[Redford]

180. The girl is 16 and therefore a minor

I don't know if statutory rape is an issue here because boy was 17. I support the right of the father to protect his family under his own roof. If he felt threatened he had a right to act. Where were the boys parents and why did they not teach their son to behave in a respectful manner toward women?

[SoCalMusicLover]

179. UPDATE: No Charges Will Likely Be Filed According To Police

Did you expect anything different? This is Stand Your Ground America of course. Guns before humans.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/14/charges-unlikely-for-houston-dad-accused-shooting-daughters-boyfriend/?intcmp=trending

[CVN-68]

193. So now, according to the update, the boy was in her bed?

He reportedly found the teen in bed with his daughter and confronted him. His daughter apparently told him she did not know the boy.

It's reasonable for the father to think that his daughter was being sexually assaulted, considering that the daughter told him she didn't know the boy.

[SoCalMusicLover]

204. A Lot Of Stuff Is "Reasonable" Nowadays In Gun Lovin' America!

It is also reasonable to think that he was a space alien, about to abduct her to another planet.

It is also reasonable to assume that he could use his Big Penis......errrrrr........GUN, to hold the guy while the police are phoned.

But I know that the gun lovers will argue with me until the end of time, about how he was threatened.....and of course the infamous...."he was reaching for something" will always work as an argument to shut people like me up.

All I know is that a 17 year old boy with the same hormones of any sexually curious 17 year old, is now dead, and with a little intelligence and patience, that did not have to be.

But what do I know. Never understood the lure of guns, but I know thanks to the support they have, stories like this will become more common, not less. Just something else you need to worry about in life these days.

Someday that person getting shot for throwing popcorn, having an affair, or playing music too loud, might be you or a loved one. That's just life in America during the 21st century.

[Blue_In_AK]

209. I caught my oldest daughter playing strip poker in her bedroom

with two boys she let in through her window way back when she was 17. I sent them packing in a hurry, but it would never have occurred to me to shoot them. I didn't have a gun anyway. Problem solved.

[Blue Diadem]

210. Father was wheel chair bound, crawled into room where they were

according to the video at this link:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/deputies-dad-shoots-kills-boy-in-teenage-daughters-bedroom/24952992

The whole thing is just sad. Lives changed forever, a boy gone and how many lives will never be the same.

[cbdo2007]

215. I don't have a gun...but when my daughters are teenagers, if I find a boy in their room....

without my knowledge, he's getting clocked in the head with the closest hard object I can find.