OR:Warning Shot Brings Help

Devon Woltring

I am not a fan of warning shots.   The bullet has to go somewhere;  in densely populated areas, there is a chance that an innocent person could be injured.   Still, I run across stories where warning shots seem to have "worked".  That is, the warning shot seems to have accomplished some good purpose, whether to defuse the situation without anyone being killed or wounded, or, as in this case, to bring help.

The suspect above is accused of stealing money from a resident, then returning to attack a resident of the home involved.  From kgw.com:

"The resident was armed with a 9 mm handgun, and the two struggled over the weapon," Sytsma said. The suspect then assaulted a guest in the home.

The resident fired a warning shot and a neighbor then intervened, dragging the suspect from the home and detaining him until police arrived.

"Warning shots" were often used prior to the late 1970's.   They went out of favor with the liability and litigation explosion that was occurring at the time, and with better communications and higher concerns over police responsibility.  During the same period, the courts neutered many of the "fleeing felon" statutes on the books.  

In most situations resolution without anyone being killed or wounded is better than the alternative.   I do not know the details involved in the altercation mentioned in the news article, but I suspect that the armed homeowner was pleased that he did not wound or kill anyone.  

We would have  to follow the career of Devon Woltring through any legal action, and for the rest of his life, to have an understanding if he will contribute to society, or at least not be a detriment.  By 21, peoples personalities are pretty well formed, and hard to alter.  Maybe this experience will be a "road to Damascus" moment, and he will come to Jesus.  The odds are against him.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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