Man Updates His Facebook Status During Hostage Stand-Off 203
36-year-old Jason Valdez wouldn't let a little thing like a SWAT team keep him from updating his Facebook status. During a 16 hour hostage stand-off in an Utah motel, Valdez made sure to update his Facebook page with things like, "Got a cute 'Hostage' huh?" He even got help from friends who posted the location of SWAT members outside.
It's a metaphor. (Score:4, Insightful)
Isn't that what we're all doing by posting to /. from work?
Re:When friends trust you more than the police... (Score:5, Insightful)
This guy is no righteous vigilante, he's been convicted of domestic violence and assault, and was holding a woman at gunpoint.
Hopefully his friends get charged and convicted of obstruction. And if his hostage had been killed, they should have been charged with accessory to murder. Morons.
Re:Obstruction? (Score:5, Insightful)
The question is whether those shots were directed at the police, or were just warning shots over their heads.
"Warning shots" still count as a shot towards the individual, and are NEVER justified. Even for a person legally carrying a firearm and acting in self defense, if it comes time to shoot, you're supposed to aim to hit. Warning shots even in such a situation will, at best, tend to draw an "Illegal discharge of a firearm." charge. Simple reason being that those bullets go somewhere. You are responsible for them. If you're not shooting at a specified target with intentions to hit it then you have no damned business putting those bullets into motion in the first place, as you've just upped the possibility greatly of striking an innocent bystander.
Re:Prison updates (Score:5, Insightful)
"I've got a cute boyfriend"
"Yesterday I dropped the soap in the shower. A heads up to everyone out there, don't pick up the soap if you drop it. Oh by the way I have a new boyfriend"
Rape isn't funny or justified. Ever.
Re:Prison updates (Score:3, Insightful)
Except when it's implicitly part of any prison sentence, generally accepted by the public, and completely disregarded by the courts and prison systems. Then it's *halrious!*
I, for one, love that we pack our prisons with non-violent offenders, sprinkle in some 25-to-lifers, lock the cage doors, and let animal dominance rule the day. What could possibly go wrong?
Re:When friends trust you more than the police... (Score:4, Insightful)
Disclosing information that is publicly available publicly is one thing; giving someone, in the process of committing a crime, information to help them, is a crime.
Re:Obstruction? (Score:4, Insightful)
This is why I hate the whole concept of warning shots, or brandishing a weapon. It is a great way to get someone hurt or killed.
I try to explain to people who don't know much about guns that I don't believe in accidental shooting in 99.99% of cases because is actually negligence. The remaining few are truly accidental shooting even once I had a firearm accidentally discharge, but because it is pointed down nothing bad happened other than the dirt got shot. The way it happened was some friends and I were shooting empty pop cans up north and ran the SKS out of ammo. When empty the bold is automatically held open so you can put more ammo in using a stripper clip. I put the safety on, reloaded, and pulled the bold back to close it. We the bolt closed it chambered a round (like it should), but because we had freezing rain (it was only about 25F out side) the firing pin froze forward and struck the primer discharging the round even with the safety on. This only proves why you should only point firearms at things you intend to shoot (or in this case a safe direction).