SHELBURN, IN (AP) - Police say an attacker who had tied up two women inside a rural western Indiana home was stopped when a neighbor shot him in the leg.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department says a man broke into the home near the town of Shelburn Sunday morning, tying up a woman and her mother and sexually assaulting the younger woman.
Sgt. William Snead says the older woman was able to send a text message to a neighbor asking for help. The neighbor’s boyfriend, Sonny Osborn, heard the confrontation and went inside with a gun.
Police say Osborn told the attacker to leave before shooting him in the leg three times. The man was treated at a hospital and was being held in the Sullivan County Jail.
Or, perhaps not willing to go on trial for murder on behalf of a third-party. Taking a life on behalf of someone you don’t even know is asking a lot, especially in today’s society. Hell, these days she’s lucky anyone came to help at all.
Damn shame it’s that way. You should be able to shoot a rapist in the act and not worry about going to prison.
Obviously they knew the neighbor well enough to have their cell phone # and the ability to text them quite readily. The going on trial for murder part definitely rings true.
I don’t know how the law is in Indiana, but in Florida this would be covered under self defense because that provision includes “the defense of others”.
[b]Q. When can I use my handgun to protect myself?
A. Florida law justifies use of deadly force when you are:
Trying to protect yourself or another person from death or serious bodily harm;
Trying to prevent a forcible felony, such as rape, robbery, burglary or kidnapping. [/b]
and this:
[b]Q. When can I use deadly force in the defense of another person?
A. If you see someone who is being attacked, you can use deadly force to defend him/her if the circumstances would justify that person’s use of deadly force in his/her own defense. In other words, you “stand in the shoes” of the person being attacked. [/b]
IC 35-41-3-2
Use of force to protect person or property Sec. 2. (a) A person is justified in using reasonable force against another person to protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person:
(1) is justified in using deadly force; and
(2) does not have a duty to retreat;
if the person reasonably believes that that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the person or a third person or the commission of a forcible felony. No person in this state shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting the person or a third person by reasonable means necessary.
