Drawing Gun on BG, and he runs away...

[ZombieShoot]

Yes and no. Really depends on the individual situation.

Just look at it like this. If he is running away but is a threat to you or a 3rd party then yes shoot. (say he's running away but still firing at you)

If he is running away not to get away but to move out of your line of fire but he has the intention of staying in the fight then shoot.

If he's running away and it's obvious he's not coming back or is no longer a threat then no.

Not so easy to decide what he is doing so you've got to be very careful because there is no telling what a DA will do even in a gun friendly state like Florida if you shoot him in the back.

I wouldn't worry about the inside of your house because you can say he was turning as you were firing which would probably be true.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ZombieShoot]

Who cares what the laws say. Shooting someone in the back as they retreat is just plain immoral.

No it isn't.

The criminal put themselves in that position. Frankly if it wasn't for the fact that most people are bad shots I'd say it should be legal to keep firing at a criminal as long as you can see him. Even if it means you've got to pull out a scoped rifle to do it.



If you don't want lead flying your way choose another career.

[Paymeister]

... Even if it means you've got to pull out a scoped rifle to do it. ...

Disagree: my job is defense of self and family, not to provide justice (however much I wish to see it done). But the post above does remind me of this:

[DZcarry]

No it isn't.

To each his/her own, but I'm not predisposed to vigilantism.

As a Christian I only see two instances in which I can take another human life 1. in self-defense against death or great bodily harm 2. in times of war. Outside of those two things killing is off limits.

If the guy turns and runs away he is no longer a threat. Having said that I would keep him in my sights until he was gone so that if he decided to stop, turn around, and start back in my direction I could drop him.

Maybe that's just me...

[psychophipps]

Make sure he's not going to turn back with a weapon, reholster in a safe location, call the police with your cellphone, and follow their instructions.

[BlueNinjaGo]

Running from where to where?

If he's running out your front door, then no, I would not shoot.

If he's running out of your bedroom (where you got the jump on him), back into the rest of your house, then I would probably shoot. Especially if there's other family members in the house. You don't know if he would run into another bedroom and take a hostage.

Just my $.02

[hamlet]

In New York State: NO; For all the reasons stated already plus another:

A friend who's a lawyer was brought into the civil part of a case where someone did this. A tavern owner was held up at gunpoint, and had been before. He was furious as the BG ran out of his bar after getting the money, so he chased him down the street and fired at his back with his own weapon (he was ccw). Missed but instead hit a little girl whose mother was taking her for a walk down the same street.

The girl was OK after a bit, flesh wound. The only reason the tavern owner is not now sitting in a pen someplace is the cops missed the legal deadline to charge him. He walked. But he was met by a civil lawsuit from the little girl's family, which is when my friend got involved.

So, we aren't cops, we're not supposed to do more than save our skins or another's under very limited and defined conditions. A cop would likely have had training not to shoot at someone while both were running down a city street and others - innocent bystanders - were close to the target.

Do what you have to do for yourself - leave the rest to professionals

[OldVet]

Florida ... No.
Shoot him in the back, turn him over, shoot in the chest, swear he spun around backwards on the second shot!

[Superfly]

In FL, if he/she is IN YOUR HOUSE you can shoot regardless. Even if he/she is running for an exit. As long as he/she is within your four walls, then the state of Florida considers it a felony in which you can assume your life is in danger.

[Alf87]

In Colorado, if the bandit is trying to run out a door or window with your property you could legally shoot. Chances are, I'd be hollering all kinds of profanities at the fellow telling him to get down on the ground or get the heck out of dodge, depending on how my adrenaline is at the time. Only if he turned around to become confrontational, I'd most likely drop him. I'm not a fan of shooting anyone in the back.

[JohnK87]

For a real world example, take the Ramos/Compean border patrol shooting. Their story was that the guy was running away from them after shooting at them, and they returned fire, which ended up hitting the guy in the butt.

What happened? An overzealous prosecutor put them away on felony charges. It seems the gun couldn't be located and he believed it was a felony shoot and cover up.

Moral? Shooting people who are unarmed or running away is rarely a good idea.

A righteous shoot could still cost you $10k in legal fees. A questionable one could land you in prison or get you sued for everything you have. Do you want to risk that on some punk running away from your house? Not me.

[Bark'n]

For a real world example, take the Ramos/Compean border patrol shooting. Their story was that the guy was running away from them after shooting at them, and they returned fire, which ended up hitting the guy in the butt.

What happened? An overzealous prosecutor put them away on felony charges. It seems the gun couldn't be located and he believed it was a felony shoot and cover up.

Moral? Shooting people who are unarmed or running away is rarely a good idea.

A righteous shoot could still cost you $10k in legal fees. A questionable one could land you in prison or get you sued for everything you have. Do you want to risk that on some punk running away from your house? Not me.

Ramos and Compean both from their very first report maintained that while he was attempting to flee, they did not shoot at him until he turned his upper body back towards them as he was fleeing with an outstretched arm. They maintained he had a shiny object which they believed was a gun in his hand when he turned back around. (We've all seen this movement a thousand times before in the movies as the bad guy is running away and tries to shoot back at those chasing them, so we know what this movement looks like in our minds.)

The U.S. Army surgeon who removed the bullet and performed the surgery on the suspect corroborated their description of events in that where the suspect was struck and the trajectory of the bullet wound was consistent with a person who was turning back towards the source of the gunfire.

His report was written before he had any knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the shooting. It was mere happenstance that his report corroborated their account as to what happened.

Many people, myself included believe that is why the prosecutor had successfully gotten the surgeon's report excluded as evidence at trial. One would think if the prosecutor was really seeking the truth, the surgeon who removed the bullet from the suspect's report would be of value at trial.

[retsupt99]

Let him go...you're out of harm's way, now call 911 and stay alert.

[BugDude]

If you think about using deadly force only in a situation where you have a reasonable belief that it is necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury to yourself or another person, regardless of the scenario, then you are less likely to ever get yourself in a jam.

+1.

[FLSquirrelHunter]

Outside? Run in the opposite direction, get to cover.
Inside? Get cover. Aim. Don't shoot. If he turns toward you again, neutralize the threat!

If you shoot (outside) at someone running away, you become a mortal threat to the assailant, which gives him (or his girlfriend in the getaway car) the right to kill you in self-defense ... you're dead, you can't argue with his version of how he asked you for spare change because they were low on gas and you pulled a gun, so he ran until you started firing, then she had no choice but to defend him.

That story would never wash if they shoot you in your home.