Man Fatally Shoots Cousin

[CT-Mike]

Man Shoots, Kills Cousin Stealing Gas - News Story - WSB Atlanta

PHENIX CITY, Ala. -- Authorities in Russell County have not filed charges against a homeowner who said today he shot and killed a man who was siphoning gasoline from his truck in the middle of the night, only to discover the victim was a cousin.

Robert Lee Warren of Hatchechubee said the man identified by the coroner as 40-year-old Henry Moses made a threatening move toward him after being confronted, so he pulled the trigger in self-defense.

Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr. said Moses died of a single gunshot to the chest about 2 a.m. CDT on Easter Sunday. The body was found near a blue pickup truck under an awning that Warren used as a carport. He said its unclear how much, if any, gasoline was taken.

Prosecutor Buster Landreau said it was too early to say whether an indictment could result when a grand jury considers the case.

Alabama law allows residents to use deadly force if they feel their life is in danger.

With the average price for regular, self-serve gasoline hitting $3.26 a gallon in the United States, gasoline thefts are being reported across the country.

Tough situation.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Reborn]

Another reason to have a good tactical flashlight. You need to be able to identify the target.

[glock27mark]

sorry to hear a family member got killed,butthats pretty bad that your
own cousin would steal from ya. i"m sure if he would have asked first
things could have gone a whole lot better. (after rereading story,maybe not).
over gas, what the h*** is wrong with people.

[edr9x23super]

I guess the Cousin falls into the category of the family member you only see every year at a family picnic and are glad to see them gone.....

[lacrosse50]

Thats just sad. Stealing, and from family to boot.

I'm glad my cars are locked up in the garage at night. Plenty of others leave them in the driveway or on the curb. Thieves go for the easy targets....

[Janq]

Another reason to have a good tactical flashlight. You need to be able to identify the target.

Agreed.

A good useful and _BRIGHT_ illuminator can literally save a life be it your own, or in this case your punk ass thieving cousin.

- Janq

[BentLink]

Living on the north end of Appalachia, it may just be a little challenging to find anybody in the vicinity that's not a relative...Not picking on Alabama, but my town has about four last names in the phone book.

[deadeye72]

over gas, what the h*** is wrong with people.

With the way the economy is, it is going to get a lot worse.

[retsupt99]

Being a cousin, doesn't make you less than a 'typical dirtbag'...OMO

Just goes to show that stealing from relatives can be just as dangerous as stealing from anyone else.

Stay armed...know your target...stay safe!

[Free American]

With the price of gas these days it starts to become something worth protecting......

[dukalmighty]

If you try to steal a dollar from a bank you can get shot for your efforts ,so when somebody trys to steal gas why is it all of a sudden so horrible.If he will steal gas he will probably steal your laptop or tv or playstation.In my book a thief is a thief

[lgsracer]

Man sees thief, kills cousin in dark

By Jay Reeves
The Associated Press

montgomeryadvertiser.com*::* Man sees thief, kills cousin in dark

HATCHECHUBEE -- A homeowner in this rural Russell County community told police Tuesday he shot and killed a man who was siphoning gasoline from his truck in the middle of the night, only to discover the victim was a cousin.

Authorities did not immediately file charges in the case.

Robert Lee Warren said the man, identified by Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr. as Henry J. Moses, 40, made a threatening move toward him after being confronted, so he pulled the trigger in self-defense.

"That's what he did, and I was in fear of my life," Warren said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "We're cousins. I didn't know it at the time. It was dark."

Sumbry said Moses died of a single gunshot to the chest about 2 a.m. Easter Sunday. The body was found near a blue pickup under an awning that Warren used as a carport, he said, but it was unclear how much, if any, gasoline was taken.

The shooting sounded like a sign of the times to Sumbry as rising fuel prices have spurred gasoline thefts nationwide. "That's exactly what I said," said Sumbry.

Hatchechubee is a rural crossroads about 75 miles east of Montgomery.

The Russell County Sheriff's Office has not filed charges against Warren, and prosecutor Buster Landreau said it was too early to say whether an indictment could result when a grand jury considers the case, probably in June.

"We've gotten nothing from the sheriff's office yet," he said.

Alabama law allows residents to use deadly force if they believe their life is in danger, but Warren said he was unsure whether he could eventually be charged.

"I'm just at a state right now that I don't know what to say," he said.

With the average price for regular, self-serve gasoline hitting $3.26 a gallon in the United States, an increase in gasoline thefts has been reported across the country.

Authorities in Cambridge, Minn., filed a felony assault charge last month against a 74-year-old man who chased an alleged gasoline thief at gunpoint and held him until authorities arrived. The man accused of taking $5 worth of fuel was charged with misdemeanor theft.

A man faces charges of stealing 20,000 gallons of gasoline from 15 gas stations and convenience stores near Seattle so he could sell fuel to friends at reduced prices.

[nutz4utwo]

thankfully, all the the people in my family are good honest people with jobs and families. None of them are stupid enough to be sneaking around in the middle of the night.

It is a shame to see someone you know killed, but I doubt this is an isolated incident with this bad guy and he was asking for it.