TX - Man shoots, kills burglars despite orders from 911 operator, 14 Nov 2007

[nappy2]

I just thought I would give you a good link to look at .


http://joehornformyneighbor.com

Thank you Mr horn

 

[LookOut]

Maybe this incident will teach young criminals that crime doesnt pay, you can even die from it... I am glad he shot the bastards instead of waiting for the cops to show up and let them go a few days later to rob and maybe kill an innocent person...

 

[believe09]

Well, my family lives in Houston, & innocent people are being killed there every day by these types of criminals. I grew up there myself - & our home was broken into more than once. People are sick of it. No, not every criminal is a murderer, but many are (or have the potential to be) & this guy probably decided he was done living in fear.

I respect your experience and opinion, yet I firmly disagree. I think that Mr. Horn made all kinds of decisions that night, some of them possibly based on fear, but isn't he lucky that 1.) he killed the two so that they cannot give their side of the story and 2.) he lived in a state where there is more tolerance for his actions. He shot them in the BACK, correct? It was an execution plain and simple for breaking and entering. Let's just call it like it is. If that is your idea of justice and taking back the streets, so be it. I am a violent crime victim, and yet this story does not even slightly rise to the level of "self defense" for me.

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Respectfully, how in the world do you know that? There are plenty of criminals who run at the sight or sound of a homeowner/occupant. Not every burglar is insane enough (or high enough) to risk a relatively minor offense with tacking on assault, rape or God forbid murder. No offense but I hope you guys in favor of this self appointed sheriff do not speak for the majority. I think the transcripts of the 911 tape speak for themselves...

--sorry--I don't agree--I can't tell you how many times I have read where a homeowner surprised a burglar at his home and the burglar then murdered the homeowner out of panic or whatever--happens all the time

 

[believe09]

--sorry--I don't agree--I can't tell you how many times I have read where a homeowner surprised a burglar at his home and the burglar then murdered the homeowner out of panic or whatever--happens all the time

As is your right, but does it happen every time? Any percentages? If you could tell me that 9/10 times home invasions result in bodily injury or death, then at least there would be something more on your side. Even if 9/10 times in Texas or Houston they did....Mr. Horn would have a little more to recommend his method of dealing with it. But I doubt that this is the case. I absolutely categorically deny myself the option of being judge jury and executioner unless there is more at stake than material things. What the hell shows that we are evolving into a civilized society? I wonder why these two burglars are considered so disposable...that their lives have no equivalent value to yours.

 

[nappy2]

I support Mr.Horn for what he did !

If he didnt do what he did who knows what these two might of did They seen Mr Horn on the phone and knew he wasnt calling for take out and they could of came back later to take care of Mr Horn because no whitnesses is always better . Why take the chance?

 

[beakiebean]

I went to school with a guy who got mixed up in a very bad scene after high school. He was mixed up in all kinds of drugs and did a lot of stupid things-one of the things he did was break into several house where no one was home to steal things so he could get money for drugs. He ended up going to prison-got a fairly wrist slap sentence the first time, clean, got out, went back to his old crowd, and ended up in prison again for the same stupid stuff. The second time did the trick, he cleaned up his act and when he got out really focused on turning his life around. Today he's married with a little girl, working for an insurance company, and is really involved in the outreach program at his church.

If someone had shot him in the back 10 years ago he wouldn't have had the chance to turn his life around. I know that not every criminal out there is going to reform their ways and do something with their live but some of them are. Some of them are young kids making bad decisions. It took 2 turns through the system for my friend to get it right but he did it.

I don't know what would have happened if someone had walked in on him robbing their house-I think he's a fundamentally good person but he definitely wasn't himself when he was on drugs. it could have ended terribly. Thankfully it didn't and I'm sure he's grateful for that everyday.

Becca

 

[nappy2]

This was no night time robbery this was a daylight robbery and with a bunch of houses around so that tells me these two guys were ready to deal with what ever they came across . What they didnt figure on was somebody who wasnt going to take their crap .I for one am glad there are people out there that are willing to stick up for themselves .

I have no feelings for somebody who has to steal to get their drugs or just get money these kind of people made the choice to be this way nobody twisted their arm . I say go get a job like everybody else and pay your bills and get the things you want honest .

This is for you Mr. Horn:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Buzz Mills]

At heart of Horn debate: empowerment
Experts say the sense that citizens should step up is driving his support

He had the thief in his sights, but chose not to take the shot. More than a decade later, Bill Thomas of Kemah still agonizes over that decision. "That night still lives in my mind like it was yesterday," Thomas said, recalling the evening when he confronted a man he saw breaking into a van in the parking lot of a San Antonio motel.

Like Joe Horn of Pasadena, who some consider a hero for fatally shooting two men who broke into his neighbor's house Nov. 14, Thomas was defending someone else's property. Horn pulled the trigger of his shotgun three times; Thomas lowered his weapon, only to learn later that the thief he allowed to flee into the night may have gone on to rob a convenience store and kill a clerk. Like many others who have publicly expressed support for Horn's actions, Thomas is frustrated. Frustrated because police, he says, have all but shrugged off burglaries of his home and his truck. Frustrated because the nation's porous borders make it possible for illegal immigrants such as the men Horn shot to prey on hard-working Americans.

This sense that private citizens must step in to do the job they believe their government is failing to do is a key factor driving the surge of public support for Horn, according to interviews with academic experts and a review of hundreds of comments on news articles, letters to the editor and radio talk-show conversations. "This is the rationale whenever a citizen tries to take the law into his own hands: Law-abiding citizens must protect themselves," said Stephen Klineberg, a Rice University sociology professor who directs the annual Houston Area Survey of local attitudes and demographic characteristics. "It's fueled by the belief in a corrupt and incompetent government."

Lacking a scientific poll, it's impossible to gauge the divide between those who believe Horn's actions were justified and those who think he went too far. His supporters have greatly outnumbered critics at protests in Horn's neighborhood and in forums where people comment on the case.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5382190.html

 

[Buzz Mills]

We would think that if the black community wanted to make their point, they would at least choose someone, for a poster child, who wasn't a felon, let alone, a felon committing a crime, and the black community would also choose someone who wasn't an illegal alien, who shouldn't have even been in the the U.S., let alone in Joe Horn's neighbor's house. But for them to choose an illegal alien felon committing a crime, certainly causes this entire, according to them, "racial incident" to fall on deaf ears. I would rather protest to declare an "open season on illegal alien felons committing a crime"; it makes a lot more sense, at least to me, but then again I never saw this as a racial incident in the first place.

From Lou Dobbs web site: Deadly Defense
The fate of a Texas man who shot and killed two suspected burglars is still to be decided. Joe Horn may or may not be facing charges for the shootings. It seems that under Texas law a person can exercise the use of force, even deadly force, in defending not only personal property, but the property of others. Horn has received death threats for the shootings and massive protests have ensued outside his house in Pasadena. We will be joined by Joe Horn's attorney, Tom Lambright, to discuss the latest details in the case.

 

[crypto6]

As is your right, but does it happen every time? Any percentages? If you could tell me that 9/10 times home invasions result in bodily injury or death, then at least there would be something more on your side. Even if 9/10 times in Texas or Houston they did....Mr. Horn would have a little more to recommend his method of dealing with it. But I doubt that this is the case. I absolutely categorically deny myself the option of being judge jury and executioner unless there is more at stake than material things. What the hell shows that we are evolving into a civilized society? I wonder why these two burglars are considered so disposable...that their lives have no equivalent value to yours.

There is more at stake here: the freedom to live without fear of you, your family or your neighbor being robbed, raped, tortured, or killed at gunpoint. We can never be free with this subhuman scum making every day an agonising trial of trepidation. He took this avenue because he knew the cops probably wouldn't catch the perps based on his knowledge of the area and the crime statistics. As noted, he was seen and identified and anyone brazen enough to perform what is basically a home invasion in full daylight is certainly capable of returning for witnesses. I don't agree with what he did, but support his right to do it.

Crypto6

 

[nappy2]

We would think that if the black community wanted to make their point, they would at least choose someone, for a poster child, who wasn't a felon, let alone, a felon committing a crime, and the black community would also choose someone who wasn't an illegal alien, who shouldn't have even been in the the U.S., let alone in Joe Horn's neighbor's house. But for them to choose an illegal alien felon committing a crime, certainly causes this entire, according to them, "racial incident" to fall on deaf ears. I would rather protest to declare an "open season on illegal alien felons committing a crime"; it makes a lot more sense, at least to me, but then again I never saw this as a racial incident in the first place.

From Lou Dobbs web site: Deadly Defense
The fate of a Texas man who shot and killed two suspected burglars is still to be decided. Joe Horn may or may not be facing charges for the shootings. It seems that under Texas law a person can exercise the use of force, even deadly force, in defending not only personal property, but the property of others. Horn has received death threats for the shootings and massive protests have ensued outside his house in Pasadena. We will be joined by Joe Horn's attorney, Tom Lambright, to discuss the latest details in the case.

:clap::clap::clap: Thank you for the post

 

[Bobbisangel]

I think a lot of people are just getting sick and tired of everything that goes on and on in our world. Nothing much is done by LE if your home is invaded. Burglery is the lowest thing on LE's list because they know that the perps won't get caught and they don't even fingerprint your home. Most LE will even admit that home invasion is at the bottom of their to do lists. Drugs are usually at the center of any breakin...homes, vehicles, stores.

I don't know what the law is here but if I had a gun and someone was breaking into my home I would shoot him/them as they were crawling through my window. If my neighbor was getting robbed I would call 911 but that is only because I'm a female. If I were a male I might go after them with my gun to run them off...it's hard to say because it hasn't happened to me. I do know that if someone was coming into my home to rob me I wouldn't just stand there and let him come on in and do who knows what. I would protect myself.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Pasadena police give DA report on Horn

After district attorney's review, the case could go to a grand jury that will determine whether the homeowner will be indicted in thieves' slayings

At heart of Horn debate: empowerment The Pasadena Police Department has presented to the Harris County District Attorney's Office its monthlong report on Joe Horn, who fatally shot two men he saw burglarizing the house next door.

The report still lacks results of the clothing analysis and firearms testing that will be included as soon as they are complete, police said.

The case is now to be reviewed by the District Attorney's Office, which could then present the findings to a grand jury to determine whether Horn, 61, a communications computer manager, should be indicted. Prosecutors said it will take at least several weeks to complete the review.

Diego Ortiz, 30 and Hernando Riascos Torres, 38, who were carrying a sack with more than $2,000 cash and jewelry taken from the home, were pronounced dead at the scene in Pasadena. Both were unemployed illegal immigrants from Colombia, and Torres had previously been deported once after going to prison for selling cocaine.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5385715.html

Comments
http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/front/5385715.html

 

[Buzz Mills]

Robber says accomplice was man shot by Horn

RICHMOND — A woman sentenced to prison in a Sugar Land home robbery told a court an accomplice in the crime was one of the men killed by Joe Horn after they burglarized his neighbor's Pasadena house, prosecutors said. Rafaela Davila, 42, made the claim during a punishment hearing Monday in the court of state District Judge Cliff Vacek, said Fort Bend County assistant district attorney Mike Hartman.

Hartman said police have not been able to verify Davila's assertion but have contacted prosecutors in Harris County to determine if it is true. "They (Harris County officials) were definitely interested in this," Hartman said Tuesday."They were going to pull up their records and see if they could corroborate this and make a connection." Hartman said there were enough similarities between the 2006 Sugar Land case and the fatal shooting incident last year in Pasadena to warrant further investigation.

In both cases, the homes targeted by the suspects were owned by people of Asian descent. And, in both cases the suspects were Colombian, Hartman said.

Davila pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to a charge of aggravated robbery in connection with a Sugar Land home invasion that happened on the evening of June 12. She was given a 40-year prison term. Hartman said Davila rang the doorbell of a home in the Sugar Lakes subdivision. When the woman who lived there answered, Davila mumbled something and the woman opened the door. Three men, who apparently had been hiding nearby, rushed into the house, Hartman said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5515904.html

My posted comment was: Build another statute of Joe Horn!! With three shots, Joe saved taxpayers ten's of thousands of dollars in prosecution, and incarceration, costs, and looking at it over the average lifetime, of a couple of no good lowdown career criminals, Joe probably saved taxpayers a cool million. Let's hear it for Joe!!

 

[sherri79]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/30/burglary.shooting.ap/index.html

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- A Texas man who shot and killed two men he suspected of burglarizing his neighbor's home was cleared in the shootings Monday by a grand jury.
Joe Horn shot and killed two men last November after he saw them crawl out a neighbor's window.
Joe Horn, 61, shot the two men in November after he saw them crawling out the windows of a neighbor's house in the Houston suburb of Pasadena.
Horn called 911 and told the dispatcher he had a shotgun and was going to kill the men. The dispatcher pleaded with him not to go outside, but Horn confronted the men with a 12-gauge shotgun and shot both in the back.
"The message we're trying to send today is the criminal justice system works," Harris County District Attorney Kenneth Magidson said.
Horn's attorney, Tom Lambright, has said his client believed the two men had broken into his neighbor's home and that he shot them only when they came into his yard and threatened him.
The two Horn suspected of committing burglary, Hernando Riascos Torres, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30, were unemployed illegal immigrants from Colombia. Torres was deported to Colombia in 1999 after a 1994 cocaine-related conviction.

 

[gman20001969]

I wish I had a neighbor like him. What I mean is, I wish my neighbor would call 911 if they saw someone climbing in a window of my house and then leaving through the same window with some of my possessions. Call 911 in my area and you'd see a cop within 5 minutes of that call.

Now though I do own and carry a gun with me about 80% of the time, I'm real hesitant to actually use it to stop a crime I see being committed...unless it was someone breaking into my car, my home, protecting my family, etc.

 

[pixies]

What all the news agencies are missing is that the men this HERO shot where illegals. They were not suppose to be in this country stealing from homes. They should be in MEXICO, trying to rebuild their country instead of ruining ours.

I am from a MEXICAN family, so is my husband. Hubby came here with less that 10 dollars and one set of clothes. It took him many years to come here LEGALLY and he has made a wonderful life for us. My husbands story is proof that those who have a desire to prosper can do it legally if they work hard.

These men broke our laws over and over again. Did they deserve to die? No, but chances are if they were caught by the police, they would already be out again, robbing and stealing and possibly murdering. No pity for them at all.

 

[Rino]

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- A Texas man who shot and killed two men he suspected of burglarizing his neighbor's home was cleared in the shootings Monday by a grand jury.
.

:clap: