We all know there’s never a cop around when you need one. We also know that criminals exploit every law enforcement weakness they can. Most burglaries are never solved and valuable property is rarely recovered. Burglary is a horrible violation of our personal and private space. The invasion of our homes by criminals is both frightening and leaves us with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.Burglary too often leads to Armed Robbery, Rape, Kidnapping and Homicide as the perpetrators find that victims are present in the homes under attack.
The ivory tower politicians that make our laws live in the safest neighborhoods with the best locks and security systems. They are the least likely people to become crime victims.
Decades of criminal coddling and massive efforts to disarm law-abiding Americans have made America a far safer place for violent criminals than hard working and God fearing taxpayers. That pendulum is now swinging the other way with Right To Carry (firearms) and so-called Castle Doctrine laws. Texas has adopted both laws in recent years. In Texas they no longer support laws that protect criminals from harm.
Residential burglars are really dangerous criminals and there is a lot more at stake than a simple loss of property.
Along came 61 year-old Pasadena, Texas resident, Joe Horn. Horn saw his neighbor’s house being burglarized by two Hispanic men. Horn calls the cops and soon realized that police won’t be able to interrupt this crime and that the criminals were going to win this contest.
Against stern warnings by a 911 operator, Horn grabed a shotgun and dispatched both burglars on the spot. The operator redundantly suggested in vain that property is not worth the lives of the burglars. Perhaps someone should have given those warnings to the two dead desperados instead.
As for the two burglars who were convicted drug offenders, Miguel Antonio Dejesus, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30, they were just not meant to live in a world where Darwin’s law rules. I for one won’t mourn their demise. We are all much safer with these two creeps in the hereafter.
They were both shot dead at close range in the heat of their crime in what can only be described as justifiable homicides. Joe Horn is not a vigilante; he’s a hero who overcame his own fear in order to end a home invasion.
Hear the 911 call here!
19 comments:
How do those convicted of a criminal offense or those with mental problems get to defend themselves or their property against attack? Are they all to be allowed to carry weapons?
I fear that in this case, the good guy is going to become a poster child for groups that want to protect criminals from being harmed while go about their business of stealing our property.
They think that protecting your neighbor's property is somehow against the rules. In a civilized society we are supposed to watch criminals depart knowing that they are seldom caught and property is seldom recovered. I sure hope that the hero in this case has a good attorney.
Is there anyone in his right mind who wouldn't fear for his own life when confronting two men that you just saw committing a felony? Mr. Horn made the choice to keep the criminals from getting away. He put himself in harms way to do that. If criminals are within ten or twenty feet of you, you are in mortal danger (ask any police officer). If they decide to attack you, they might cover that distance before you can react. It would be difficult to find a jury in Texas that would convict the man given the circumstances as I understand them.
Bad guys need to realize that our property is not worth dying for. Leave us alone, leave our property alone, leave our loved ones alone, and leave those hard-working folks around us alone too. We don't need laws to protect criminals from harm while they commit their crimes.
Right on! Loved the article. It's high time the pendulum swung the other way. Thanks Joe Horn!
These two low-life criminals will never have to worry about making a bad decision again. Their fate was a result of their own actions. To quote my dear old father: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
The world (in general) and Pasadena (specifically) has two less criminals to deal with now. Kudos goes out to Joe Horn. He did what many of us would like to have the courage to do.
I have posts related to this and other topics at my blog, Texas Truth, as http://moretexastruth.blogspot.com
Please feel free to stop by.
go to joeformyneighbor.com to leave a donation or you can go to any Chase bank and leave check for jor horn legal defense fund. You have to understand that the facts have not come out yet. Joe needs all the suport he can get. We only want our neighborhoods safe. robbers are on notice! Which home has the gun. Which home has the silent person will defend what is his and not a turds? Is it you?
We will be there to support Joe. See you all Sunday!
I know the author will never let this be shown, which is ironic because the author probably doesn't believe in censorship (like government censorship), but at least he'll hopefully he'll read it himself.
"The operator redundantly suggested in vain that property is not worth the lives of the burglars. Perhaps someone should have given those warnings to the two dead desperados instead."
You said it best. He should have gotten a warning before this crazy, gun-toting murderer announced, "you're dead" and shot him.
Warnings are what what law enforcement officers give to try to spare human life. We pay to train people and have them out there so we don't have to: People who are trained in the law and handling these situations so people don't needlessly die.
People who feel Joe was in the right also probably think of themselves as good Christians. But did you ever stop to think about forgiveness; giving these guys a chance to pay for their crime the way our laws state and turn their life around? No, you think it's just fine to wipe them off the face of the earth over some jewelry and other meaningless objects. Does sound very Christian to you?
The very least he could have done was just hold them at gunpoint or shoot them in an extremity to to stop them. But he had to, in his words "kill 'em". He had murderous intent before the robbers were in his house. And he even admitted that going out there would put his life in danger as opposed to being safe in his home, but he did it anyway. He was obviously looking for a reason to kill and he found it. You may think "in the heat of the moment, he didn't have time to think of alternatives". Well, that's exactly why he shouldn't have gotten involved and that's why we have people trained to handle these situations.
The man took the law into his own hands and created a situation where he could murder someone behind a facade of self-protection. He assigned himself judge and executioner and dealt the penalty he felt was fitting to the crime.
What if we all did the same? What if I decide to shoot a guy for running a red light or jaywalking? Will you back me in my decision like you did with Joe? What if one of the robbers was your teenage child who is going through a mischievous phase. Should his whole life be taken away for one mistake? Would you back Joe in that situation?
To unstle:
You raise some points that may have some limited validity but for the most part your essay is a lot of hogwash.
Joe Horn is not a trained police officer just a citizen with concerns for his neighbors and legitimate fear and loathing of criminals. You somehow assume that Horn was not under attack as two younger, stronger criminals advanced on Horn who was standing on his own property. Horn had every right to stop their advance on him. Horn did not shoot anyone in the back as they ran away.
Horn had a shotgun pointed at the criminals that all but a blind man could see. The burglars chose to continue advancing on Horn perhaps thinking they could take his gun and do whatever additional crimes they wished. Horn’s shotgun was enough warning for anyone.
Residential burglary is a crime of violence and involves more than the taking of mere property. Most sexual assaults and murders involve the crime of burglary. Residential burglary is a serious and deadly business.
You wrote, “What if one of the robbers was your teenage child who is going through a mischievous phase. Should his whole life be taken away for one mistake? Would you back Joe in that situation?” Most all of us have black sheep in our families that have taken the wrong direction and that is a sad reality of human life. I back Joe or any other citizen who uses deadly force to stop criminals.
We must error on the side Joe Horn’s survival. You’re asking too much for citizens to read criminal’s minds and guess their intentions in the split second of an in progress crime.
Your concerns for the dead criminals would have been better directed at them before they took up residential burglary as their way of life. I would say that it is safe to assume that these criminals knew that they were engaged in risky behavior before they made their fatal choices.
The Christian thing to do is to respect the life God gave you by aggressively defending yourself, family and neighbors from violent criminals.
to unstle: are u even christian?
also, in case u didn't know, you cannot surgically shoot a shotgun, like in the leg or arm, especially at 10 feet.
the men came onto his property, therefore, joe was defending his life and his property, too
TO UNSTL,
Listen to the phone call again... He did warn them... "you move, you're dead"... that's a pretty blatant warning. Your liberal ways and those like you are deteriorating this great countries morals... It is about time for criminals to fear doing crime again...
Let's buy Joe some more bullets!
From Southwest Houston:
I live in the neighborhood where partime minister's car was found with two hoodlums which the police let go. The man was found fighting for his life in Ben Taub, after being beaten and stabbed.
Our neighborhood has been burglerized frequently since the summertime and yet, this info was not made known to residents and police have done nothing to stop said burglers.
This is a neighborhood of elderly people and young families with children.
Criminals take a risk when they enter your home or business to rob you. I don't feel sorry for these ex-cons that were shot.
We also live close to a heavy drug and gang area.
Police aren't doing their job in protecting innocent people.
The law is on the side of self defence.
And we are totally disgusted that the media is making a huge case of this.
Also super tired of seeing Quanell using every situation for his political gain.
God Bless Texas and Joe Horn. I'm thinking about moving back to Texas now. Sounds like the criminals all over the state got the best warning they could get.
We all need more neighbors like Joe.
Anyone who thinks Joe was in the wrong need to go to school,learn to read, then READ the Texas Penal Code, on deadly force.
Way to go Joe.
This country is full of poeple that will do nothing in the face of wrong doing. There is little to no crime in the small town where I grew up because everyone has a gun and everyone is their brothers keeper.
To allow evil to go unchallenged is evil in itself. I think Ronald Reagan said that.
I came across this. My co-worker lives four houses down from where Joe Horn blew these guys away. Its a nice neigborhood and there are a lot of retired people/people working from home. It was their unlucky day. Too bad.
Hello Anonymous, I received notice of your post. Did your co-worker mention whether there had been more burglaries in that particular neighborhood? I'm just curious. As I understand it, Joe Horn moved. I think that he was, or at least should have been concerned that other members of the burglary ring would be trying to get him. He paid a price to trying to protect his neighbors property.
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We have a choice. We can be sheep and expect that predators will take one of us from time to time. Or we can try to protect ourselves and the sheep as well.
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