In a brand-new housing development in on Houston’s east side, one homeless troublemaker decided the half-built homes and backyards were his own personal playground. And likely his personal outhouse as well. Neighbors reported the man repeatedly trespassing, rummaging through the properties, and treating the construction site like his own private domain. Written and verbal warnings failed to deter the persistent nuisance.
Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, a new homeowner caught the guy in his backyard and told him to get lost. The homeless man left, only to return shortly thereafter, like a stray cat that refuses to take a hint. The homeowner confronted him a second time on the road.
That’s when things got physical: The bum reportedly attacked the homeowner.
The homeowner, not wanting a hundred staples in his head — or worse — pulled a pistol and shot his attacker. Mr. Homeless ran off. After the homeowner gathered his faculties, he called police.
Turns out Mr. Homeless had collapsed in a nearby ditch where he drew his last breath. Cops found him dead right there. Houston police are now investigating and no charges have been filed against the shooter.
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Mock all you want. This bad guy had violent tendencies and wouldn’t stay gone despite numerous warnings. But here’s the larger point: the “good guy” homeowner would’ve been a lot smarter to have called the cops the first time and let them handle the persistent drifter. Using deadly force to defend property (especially partially-built homes) is a dangerous gamble in most jurisdictions.
Texas self-defense laws are relatively strong, and the physical assault likely provides sufficient legal justification. Still, the aftermath of any shooting is rarely clean. Now this homeowner faces a police investigation, legal bills (unless he had self-defense legal coverage) media scrutiny, and the stress that comes with taking a life — justified or not.
The good guy may suffer from PTSD over the attack, nightmares, stress on his marriage and at his place of employment. Dealing with that could cost him thousands of dollars of expenses. And all for what? To chase off some homeless dude instead of letting HPD take care of it.
The mainstream media exists to contribute to pile-ons in cases like these such as the headline: “Homeless man shot after trespassing.” The casual reader will think the bad guy got blasted for walking across someone’s lawn rather than violently attacking someone. But that doesn’t generate clicks like the TV news station’s sensationalistic headline.
Cops exist for a reason. Persistent homeless trespassers with attitude problems are their problem to solve, not yours, especially with a trigger. Letting law enforcement deal with these situations (or not) keeps you out of the legal system’s crosshairs, to say nothing of the other possible post-incident fallout.