I recently read a letter from a guy who was forced to kill a man trying to attack him with a metal pipe.
I don’t know what caused the attack in the first place, but here’s an excerpt from the letter…
“I was involved in a self-defense homicide where I killed my attacker with a knife. It really looked bad [in court] for a while and it appeared to the arresting officer that I was attempting to flee [from the scene of a crime]. The prosecutor in court wanted to know why I tried to run away – I was running for a pay phone to call the police! That point helped to acquit me and the jury found in my favor.”
Pay close attention, because this could be you if you make these mistakes…
On-The-Scene Blunders That Can Get You Arrested
As the saying goes… looks can be deceiving.
Of course whenever you’re attacked, if you have the option to escape – ESCAPE!
But if you’re ever in a position where you need to use lethal force to defend yourself in an attack, your actions AFTER you pull the trigger are just as important when it comes time to prove your innocence in court.
The fact is, you do not have to have committed a crime to go to prison.
If you’re ever forced to defend yourself – especially if you must take a life to save your own – you must show that your intent was not to hide your actions. Here are three of the biggest legal mistakes people make…
3 Legal Mistakes For Shooting In Self-Defense
- Dragging the body into your home – With today’s forensics, do you really think you’re going to fool the investigators? This common myth won’t make it look like “self-defense” – it will only make you look guilty as hell.
- Putting a knife in his hand to make it look “more” like an attack – Investigators will be able to tell by everything from where he lands to how the fingerprints show up on the handle to know whether he actually held the knife or not.
- Running away and waiting to call 9-1-1 after killing someone – Let me guess… you want to make sure you get your story straight so it doesn’t look “bad”, right? Well actually, if you don’t call for help right away, it may seem like you’re taking time to make up a story and arrange an alibi. Not good…
As this citizen found out, even running to safety can make you look guilty and if you delay your reporting of the incident, it may look like you didn’t actually feel you were threatened.
Count on being asked the question in court, “why did it take you so long to report your actions when there was a store just 100 ft. away from where you killed this poor father of 3?”
Find the fastest way to call for help once you’ve reached a safe location and tell the 911 operator, “Someone tried to kill me!”.
Don’t go into full details of the event – just give them your location… that you’re not sure if you’re safe… and to please send help fast.
What To Tell The Police After A Shooting
When the police arrive, you need to be very careful about what you say – even if you feel your actions were 100% justified.
As this fine citizen wrote in his letter, the arresting officer thought that he was trying to flee even though his head was bloody from a pipe beating.
Just repeat that you thought your attacker was going to kill you… and then shut up.
You don’t need to be confrontational… just let the officers know you’re shaken up and don’t want to say anything else at this time (until you talk with a lawyer if need be).
Know your true rights and responsibilities, including how to work with an attorney and police if you’re ever arrested for defending yourself (an all-too-common occurence).
It’s part of owning a gun, knife, or any other knowledge of how to defend yourself.
