Man Charged With Murder over Shooting of Tomato Thrower

[Pert_UK]

Mods - sorry if this has been covered already, but this was a big story on DU with lots of posts when it first happened, and I haven't seen any follow-up pointing out that the guy was caught.

Apologies if it's a dupe.

"HOLMESVILLE, Ohio (AP) - A family friend was charged with murder Tuesday in the shooting of a young man who was throwing tomatoes at passing vehicles from a cornfield, a traditional prank in the Amish community.

Marion D. Weaver, 58, drove his car past the field several times, deputies said, and after the vehicle was hit repeatedly with tomatoes, fired several shotgun rounds blindly into the cornstalks.

The victim, Steven L. Keim, 23, was hiding in the dark field with about 10 others, ages 15 to 23, who told authorities they were throwing the tomatoes and firing paintball guns. "

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA7GSESOKD.html

[Rocinante]

1. I remember your post about this

Maybe this guy had other problems that caused him to snap. Maybe Meds from the heart problem. It's weird but I got fired on when I was a kid for rolling toilet paper on a yard on Halloween night. Some folks just snap, and if a weapon is handy, they will use it.

[Pert_UK]

2. That's where you're wrong......

If he hadn't have had a gun he would have found some other way of killing that person....You obviously don't realise that sick and twisted individuals will always find a way to commit these hideous crimes, it's completely inevitable......It would be patently absurd to suggest that the victim might still be alive if the driver hadn't had a gun with him - the driver would obviously have chased the kid down and beaten him to death with a spanner, or strangled him.....There's no way that the gun could possibly have played any role in this.........

:eyes:

Sorry, just continuing some of the arguments I've heard in the dungeon recently......

For the sake of clarity (not that it will do any good)....NO, I'm not saying that the gun CAUSED the crime. The gun, by itself, wouldn't have done anything. The gun, in this case, ENABLED the crime - the driver would never have deliberately put himself in harm's way if he hadn't been carrying a weapon and had an itchy trigger-finger.....and bear in mind that he fired randomly into the field, not knowing who or what he might hit.

P.

[Rocinante]

3. Hey Dude

Didn't your link say the guy had a heart problem? And a pretty serious one at that? How could a 58 yr. old man chase a kid down when he has obvious medical problems? How could he beat the hell out of him after he caught him? R.

[mistertrickster]

4. I think you're being a little too logical about this, Pert.

Humans are NOT logical--looks who's sitting in the White House or in Bush's case, napping in the White House.

I believe that guns not only enable crimes like this, but actually in a some cases CAUSE crimes. By having a gun handy, one is reminded of and motivated to use violence, whether violence is appropriate or not. It's like give a kid a hammer, and he'll find something to hit . . .

If you read the fine print of this story, the killer drove past the field REPEATEDLY. Would he have done that without the gun in the car? Inviting even instigating violence? He was looking for trouble because he had the gun.

[slackmaster]

5. I'd reverse the subject and object in your last sentence

He was carrying the shotgun (illegally) BECAUSE he was out looking for trouble.

[demdave]

6. Local news reports say he went home and got the shotgun.

Although that is not the point, I just wanted to clarify. In that same vein, the "kid" was a 23 year old man.

With that out of the way, Mr. Weaver should be put away for a long time. People who shoot weapons in the direction of people should be charged accordingly. He wasn't shooting in the air to scare, he was shooting to kill. That is premeditated murder.

[FlemingsGhost]

7. A young man, a religious fundamentalist, up to no good.

Sounds like Mr. Weaver thwarted a terra attack!

Maybe Johnny Asscrack can pin a medal on ole' Marion. He is one patriotic 'Murican hero, I tell you what.