Summary

At a Lafayette, Indiana anti-Trump rally Saturday, a man pulled an assault-style rifle after clashing with protesters who blocked his truck at a Third Street intersection.

Video shows the man in a MAGA hat yelling at protesters, prompting another man—angered by the confrontation with women—to intervene.

The two exchanged shouts before the protester headbutted the man. He returned to his truck, retrieved a rifle, and reentered the crowd.

Police detained but released him, citing self-defense. The “Hands Off!” rally drew nearly 1,000 people and ended early amid safety concerns.

  • @meco03211@lemmy.world
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    443 months ago

    So Indiana is a “stand your ground” state. That generally removes any duty to retreat. I’d be curious how they rule when he clearly retreated to his vehicle already, and only then retrieved a weapon, brandished it, and reentered a crowd. If they allow self defense, how far is someone allowed to retreat in order to retrieve a weapon and re-engage? Can I go all the way back to my house and get a gun to defend myself?

    Of course this will only be litigated if the public can pressure the prosecutor to press charges. If not it’ll be easy for the cops to disproportionately apply that defense to like minded miscreants.

    • @Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      63 months ago

      It removes your duty to retreat if you are in a life-threatening situation, whether on private or public property. It essentially extends the castle doctrine to include your personal space at all times.

      If after being headbutted, he pulled a CCW, or even had the AR on his person, I think he could make a reasonable claim of self defense. If the protestor followed him back to his truck, he could make a claim of self defense, but if you have the time and security to go back to your truck, get your gun, and the return to confront someone, I think you’ve gone outside the realm of being in a life-threatening situation, and therefore self-defense no longer applies.

      • @meco03211@lemmy.world
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        33 months ago

        And I’d agree with that. But if it’s not settled in court, cops are allowed to pick and choose how they apply that.

  • @SabinStargem@lemmy.today
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    243 months ago

    Protestors should bear arms. Soon enough, the Rittenhouses of the right will need to be put down when they behave like rabid DOGEs.

    Conservatives escalate, and must be met in kind when they do so.

    • @Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      That would require forward thinking. Protestors don’t do that. Not on the left. The guy that head butt this guy didn’t think beyond that moment.

    • @daepicgamerbro69@lemmy.world
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      63 months ago

      hey, new guy. Searg said you bring him donuts ASAP. also while you go there stop by the other department and tell the guys there that boss wants to entrap even more mentally ill muslims into trying to join ISIS this month.

    • @ubergeek@lemmy.today
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      43 months ago

      Protestors should bear arms.

      I do. Concealed, for the moment, because my liberal NYS made it illegal to keep and bear arms while exercising your first amendment right.

      And, I’m of the wrong political persuasion to test that law.

  • @Ileftreddit@lemmy.world
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    103 months ago

    I mean lots of people open carry. Hopefully we don’t get to this point, but if someone threatens someone else with firearm, lots of localities justify lethal force at that point (one must always assume a firearm is loaded)

    • @ubergeek@lemmy.today
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      93 months ago

      No, he didn’t. We were having breakfast that morning, when it’s alleged he killed a mass murderer.

      • @Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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        33 months ago

        And right after that, he was with me playing video games and chilling. We played some classic games that he was too young to enjoy first game. He enjoyed it. I then made him a nice spaghetti lunch.

      • @qarbone@lemmy.world
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        393 months ago

        He wasn’t. Because he didn’t kill that CEO. My man’s innocent.

        Whoever did happen to off that CEO certainly did everyone a favor tho

        • @daepicgamerbro69@lemmy.world
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          143 months ago

          as far as i am concerned Thompson’s body just did that weird bullet thing 3 times in a row. Seems to be a latent condition in most billionaires.

          • @MBech@feddit.dk
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            13 months ago

            Tonight at 11: Is being rich bad for your health? 99% of the population seem to think so, and it’s not why you think!

          • @ubergeek@lemmy.today
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            83 months ago

            Pre-existing condition, I’m thinking.

            The body has a way of shutting down illegitimate bullets.

            • @Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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              33 months ago

              He died of acute lead poisoning. He was born in a leaded house with leaded gasoline on the farm. The bullets didn’t do anything.

  • @PointyReality@lemmy.world
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    143 months ago

    What an actual POS, but do we really expect anything else from a Trump supporter. Clear as day he should not have been released citing any self-defence. Anyone who argues against this fact shows they should not even own a gun. US is going US though, not even dead kids can separate them from their guns.

  • @the_q@lemm.ee
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    453 months ago

    Self defense would be a headbutt back or fists, not the AmRepublican-14.

    • @sunshine@lemmy.ml
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      423 months ago

      there’s video, no one was doing anything to him. he got out of his SUV, started yelling at people, returned to the vehicle, got back out with the weapon at his side. self defense would have been (a) for literally anyone to have threatened him and (b) for him to simply leave the scene.

  • @NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    1213 months ago

    How does going back to your vehicle and retrieving a n assault rifle count as self defense? That’s premeditated at that point if he were to use it.

    The difference between this, and any other mass shooting is just whether this guy decided to pull the trigger, which he obviously wanted too.

  • @MehBlah@lemmy.world
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    123 months ago

    He will shoot next time. Like a not so smart missile they just aimed him at decent human beings.

  • Self-defense requires there to be an ongoing threat to your or someone else’s immediate safety. If he was able to leave the altercation, head to his truck to retrieve his rifle, and then return to the situation that’s not self-defense, its premeditation.

    • @RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Stand your ground laws have completely wrecked the premise surrounding threats and threat avoidance. Now it’s people being assholes and escalating the assholery until someone gets pissed and throws a punch and then the shooting starts. Doesn’t matter if it’s road rage or fighting over a parking space. No consideration that anyone involved could have walked away at any point before things got bad.

      The duty to retreat and use a firearm as a last resort is dying a quick death in most red states. Even in NY where shooting someone in self defense was often a trip straight to jail now ends up with people not being charged.

      Basically, you need to Han Solo the thing most times these days. Shoot first and you’re not guilty.

    • hopesdead
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      83 months ago

      He’s probably white and identifies as CIS male. In today’s reality, that qualifies as self-defense to police.

    • @ubergeek@lemmy.today
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      113 months ago

      It’s self defense, because the cops are on the same side as the guy…

      Same reason you never see Miley Cyrus and Hanna Montana in the same room at the same time.

    • @Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I fucking love you guys. Like your head in a book being like awksuelly…

      Reality is that guy could have killed that protestor and charges would be dropped. If not, trump would pardon him. There are no consequences

      Stop trying to be correct. Just fucking win for a change. Being correct is not a win in today’s world. Way too many people that are wrong who keep winning.

  • Noxy
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    693 months ago

    I bet if someone drew a concealed pistol on him after he pulled out his rifle the cops would NOT consider it self defense.

    ACAB.

  • @mhague@lemmy.world
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    103 months ago

    If the game is about driving around with a gun, provoking people into hitting you, and then going back and getting your gun to kill them, it would be very easy to go around deleting Trump supporters. You know, if not for the police / government being on their side.

    That dude could’ve stayed in his truck and waited for people to walk by. Instead he ended up bloody and teary-eyed. And he’s the one with the fucking assault rifle.

    • Bullies aren’t used to people hitting back. They’re so scared of losing face they’d rather carry a gun and possibly kill someone to prove what a badass they are.