As a political writer and solid believer in the right to armed self-defense, I spend some time each day researching defensive shooting episodes throughout the country in order to keep my finger on the pulse of the matter. And as a resident of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, suburb, I also keep a pretty close eye on the local news on a daily basis.
So, when those two worlds meet—as they did recently—I can’t help but want to write about it.
On Tuesday evening, a Tulsa homeowner used his firearm to stop five men who were attacking him in his front yard. The incident is a good example of a firearm being the “great equalizer” since a 5-on-1 fight would not normally be winnable by the lone party.
According to the Tulsa Police Department (TPD), the homeowner and 47-year-old Marco Richardson had been involved in an ongoing argument that had already led to previous confrontations. Police say that on the night of the incident, Richardson, his son and three others exited two vehicles at the suspect’s house and rushed him.
While the five men had the homeowner, who has not been identified, pinned against a vehicle in the yard and were assaulting him, he drew his gun and began shooting, hitting Richardson in the chest and also hitting another of his attackers.
When police arrived at the scene they found Richardson lying in the yard surrounded by several people. He later died of his wounds at a local hospital, and the other man who was seriously wounded in the incident was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
“The homeowner cooperated with officers, surrendering the pistol and providing a statement to investigators,” TPD reported in a Facebook post. “Based on witness statements and evidence collected, no charges were filed against the homeowner.”
The investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for final disposition once completed
Unfortunately for the journalism world, despite the fact that police clearly stated that no charges were filed against the homeowner and headlined the photo on the department Facebook page “Self-Defense Homicide,” the local CBS affiliate, newson6.com, repeatedly referred to the homeowner as the “shooter” and called the attacker who was killed the “victim.” It seems that even in Oklahoma, so-called “mainstream” media can still find some way to make positive use of a firearm sound negative.
Read the full article here
