Back door assault on gun rights?

[dnf777]

Man acquitted of boy's killing now sought on gun charge
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By Jim McKinnon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Homewood man who was found not guilty in a homicide trial this month now is a fugitive in an unrelated case involving a gun, according to court records.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Donald "Tank" Wilson, 20.

He was arrested Oct. 23 in Homewood after a woman complained that he threatened her with a gun.

However, Mr. Wilson escaped from custody.

He now faces charges that include carrying a firearm without a permit and possessing a firearm that has identification marks removed.

Mr. Wilson was acquitted this month of the killing April 18, 2008, of 12-year-old Kholen Germany.

Mr. Wilson was charged with homicide because, prosecutors had claimed, he fired shots at another man whose return fire struck the boy.



Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09301/1008884-100.stm#ixzz0VFNGmNIH


(emphasis above mine) Now, in this particular case, the guy charged was a real turd. But if the legal principle would stand, then if you fire in self defense at an intruder, and he returns fire striking a member of your family...YOU can be charged with the homicide???????? this type of rogue application of the law by prosecutors scares the hell out of me!

[YardleyLabs]

This case doesn't seem to be an attack on gun owners doing something legal. As I understand the case, Donald Wilson had an on-going conflict with two other men. He shot at them while they were in a store and he was across a crowded street. The boy was caught in the middle. Police believed that the boy was killed by Wilson's fire. As it developed, the boy was probably killed by the shots fired by the other two men in self defense. These men were witnesses in the prosecution of Wilson and had been granted immunity. In the end, a kid is dead because of a public gunfight started by Wilson and no one will be convicted. However, the police will do whatever they can to get him off the street using the other string of crimes that he is alleged to have committed but for which he has not yet been tried. (See http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/21220888/detail.html)

[Hew]

I don't see the big deal, either. Isn't it pretty common to charge everybody with murder who were involved in a crime that resulted in someone dying? Eg...three punks rob a 7/11 and the one with the gun shoots the clerk...they all get a murder rap. That's the way it works in my state, on "The First 48" and on "NYPD Blue" anyway. ;-)