No charges filed against homeowner accused of shooting Bo Morrison
SLINGER — Washington County District Attorney Mark Bensen announced Wednesday that no charges will be filed in the shooting of 20-year-old Bo Morrison in Slinger on March 3rd.
Morrison was shot by a homeowner on the homeowner’s porch, as he was allegedly hiding from police after attending an underage drinking party in the neighborhood.
The District Attorney’s Office says their investigation determined that the homeowner who shot Morrison acted lawfully in self-defense.
<snip>
The investigation report in this case says law enforcement was called to a noise complaint involving an underage drinking party that Morrison was attending. The report says Morrison’s BAC was .19 – over twice the legal limit for driving, and Morrison left the party, and entered the homeowner’s enclosed porch.
<snip>
The report says the homeowner “acted reasonably in his use of force, based on the facts and circumstances of which he was aware when he encountered an unknown intruder in his residence at 2:00 a.m. March 3rd.” The report says the requirements of the recently passed Castle Doctrine were met in this case based on factors including: time of day of the shooting, location of the shooting, small size of the room where the shooting took place, lighting conditions of the room (dark), dark clothing Morrison was wearing, the fact that the homeowner’s wife and three young children were in the home at the time, etc.
<snip>
More: http://fox6now.com/2012/03/21/district-attorney-issues-no-charges-in-slinger-shooting/
The 'castle doctrine'......
= new reply since forum marked as read
Many people use them as an additional room. And it was in the middle of the night around 2/2:30 am I think.
This is a sad case but it is different than Trayvon's I think.
edit to add: Here is a different link that gives more specifics. http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/143753546.html
Notice this statement:
I think that most anywhere if someone breaks into your home you have the right to defend yourself and your family even in states where there are no castle laws. Maybe I'm wrong but that's what I've always thought.
Did you ever go to a house party in high school or college where the police were called? Do you have kids? Do you have anyone in your family Bo Morrison's age? Would you want this to happen to them? This is a small Wisconsin town on a Saturday night. Think about that.
Oh look a new poster for the Gungeon 
- that is their favorite motto down there. Bo Morrison was a human being and this man made a decision to take his life. I'm sorry, but all this right-wing nonsense about the right to take another person's life on principle alone, and not out of any real fear of grievous injury is craven. 
I hope you never feel the pain the Morrison ohana is feeling...
I want to know if he was the one who called the police and how far away he was from him. If it was so dark, how did he see him raise his arm. You can do better than bullshit and weave. I hope you never find yourself at the wrong end of one of these vigilante's barrels, Bo Morrison did, and now his family and friends weep. How does that make you feel? This isn't a game, this isn't a gun magazine scenario, this is real life. How many Bo Morrison and Trayvon Martin's do there have to be before we stop acting like this is sensible.
That's a new one.
....Bo Morrison is still alive. That is a fact. As one Gungenhood member once conceded, "the gun made it easier."
It's really simple - if you pull that trigger and there aren't going to be any do-overs. If you pick up that gun you better fucking mean it. Guns are not toys. This is a small town in Wisconsin, this isn't urban Chicago, this was a Saturday night, it appears that the homeowner had called the cops on the party in the first place (I can't find any confirmation either way). Careful not to kill the neighbors kid now...you want that on your conscience?
Without the Castle Law he's facing at the minimum manslaughter charges if not second degree murder - this shooting is inexcusable
R.I.P. Bo Morrison - just another victim of an asshole with a gun...
Did you ever go to a house party in high school or college where the police were called? Do you have kids? Do you have anyone in your family Bo Morrison's age? Would you want this to happen to them? Think about that.
I want to know how far away from Bo Morrison this asshole was when he pulled the trigger.
Seems like the Justice Department needs to get involved in Slinger, Wisconsin too...
License to Kill – Wisconsin Castle Doctrine First Victim
Friday, 23 March 2012 19:57
Paul I. Tascoupe
Wisconsin Politics
Madison – The eyes of the nation are focused on the shooting death of Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012 at the hands of a Neighborhood Watch leader in a small, gated Florida community. The shooter claimed self-defense and has yet to face charges because of Florida’s own version of the “Castle Doctrine”. The Florida Legislature went a step further than Wisconsin when they adopted the “Stand your ground” version of the law. It appears the Martin family will, at the very least, be given a chance to see justice served for Trayvon.
In Slinger, Wisconsin, there is another such story; it is the shooting death of Bo Morrison on March 3, 2012. At the time of the shooting, Bo Morrison was twenty years old, graduated college and joined the Marines. Friends who were with Morrison that night say he was just hiding after police arrived at an underage drinking party next door.
------
The homeowner’s account of events state he spoke to Mr. Morrison. Morrison raised his hands and took a step toward the homeowner. Now, read that again, the homeowner spoke to Morrison, Morrison raised his hands, then took a step? So we are to believe the homeowner was able to first remain calm enough to speak to Bo, then be able to see him raise his hands and take a step toward him? I thought it was dark; does he have night vision goggles?
Another interesting and unanswered question is who called the police about the party next door? Was it the shooter? At 2 am in the morning and only firing a single shot, the shooter must have been a sniper at one point in time, to able to fatally shoot another human being in the dark, half asleep.
More: http://www.politiscoop.com/us-politics/wisconsin-politics/837-license-to-kill--wisconsin-castle-doctrine-first-victim.html
That's someone's child and this asshole took his life without hesitation.
...how did he see this.
Seems like you deal in presumptions, and not in facts. Seems like his story doesn't exactly jive...
I want to know if he was the one who called the police on the party and how far away he was from Bo Morrison. I want to know if he announced himself and what the response was to that. I want to know what the facts are, not what the white wash is the DA cooked up. Could it have been Mr. Morrison was raising his hand because he saw the gun "don't shoot, please don't shoot." I'm sorry but if the Wisconsin law allows this that law needs to change.
...we do know the homeowner had no duty to retreat under Wisconsin state law and that if he did this would likely merit a trial. This guy had history with these kids - the Morrison family thinks this is a white wash and I'm inclined to believe them. Hope you never feel the pain the Morrison and Martin families are feeling...
Will you defend George Zimmerman if the Florida grand jury doesn't charge him? You're all over those threads too.
He made a choice to arm himself and pull the trigger knowing full well the kid was likely not armed, posed no threat to him, and that the police were in the area, the very police he had called to the party next door, after confronting party-goers. 
Or are you a mind reader, now too?
He had time to ask him what he was doing there and to conclude that he raised an arm. Just how dark was it. Did he know these neighbors? Were they generally armed. But you know whatever, keep on living in that gunners paradise.
Hard to prosecute and impossible to prosecute are two different things. He's not even taking it to a grand jury. That is a choice.
Answer my question now: will you defend George Zimmerman if a Florida grand jury decides not to file charges?
He did not have a reasonable fear. The police were in the area, he called them in the first place, he says he hears a noise and his first decision is to get his gun and leave his wife and kids. I'm sorry, but I'd like to see this guy grilled. His story is inconsistent with the reasonable action. Do you always check your locks with a .45 in hand?
[div class='excerpt']He did not have a reasonable fear.
So now you're a mind reader, too?
[div class='excerpt']I'd like to see this guy grilled.
What indication do you have that he wasn't?!?
Even absent castle doctrine, the DA would not have filed charges.
...when you assume that the other person doesn't understand the concepts involved.
I'd like to see this guy grilled in a court room. 
You sure do love telling other people they're dodging...it's like a mantra with you.
There's tremendous evidence. I'd like to see it go to trial. I haven't gotten around to reading the full police report, but based on the reporting, I would say you're being deliberately obtuse if you don't think prior confrontation isn't a factor in demonstrating malice aforethought. Prior confrontation occurred. I'd like to hear the tape from when this dude called the police on the party. I'd like the D.A. to do his job instead of standing there like a smirking fool saying he couldn't win it even if he tried.
Done with this discussion with you, happy hunting
...and I knew people who ran from the police, hid in yards etc. They didn't deserve to have their lives taken over a noise complaint and drinking party.
I'm hearing a lot of hypothesis that don't fit the circumstances of this case. This man knew there was a party, knew the police were coming, and he knew what the odds are that this was just a drunk kid. He didn't care. That's the fact here, he went for that gun and acted in haste.
I do not believe Bo Morrison had any reason to make any hostile move towards this man. I think he acted in cold blood. Most people act differently and it never makes the news.
Why was Bo Morrison's life taken so cheaply? Why was Trayvon Morrison's life taken so cheaply? Why do people feel they have the right to take someone's life in haste?
You're going to run with that. Someone is dead. I think this guy should have manned up and held his fucking fire.
Do you really believe this nonsense?
I guess Trayvon Martin shouldn't have defended himself against George Zimmerman, if he in fact did so.
...there was history here - this wasn't split second. He acted in haste. You can believe whatever you want, but IMHO you're wrong about this law, and you're wrong about this case.
I hope you never shoot the neighbors kid
Either way, clearly, you care more about absolving an asshole with a gun than about an unarmed dead black kid who posed no threat.
Here are a few more.
https://www.google.com/search?q=homeowner+killed&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US
fficial&client=firefox-a
This burns me up:
It should burn you up too, but then again, I'm not really surprised.
I'm going to stick to the facts of the case. Less than an hour beforehand this same homeowner confronted members of this party and called the police. He knew police where in the area and he acted in reckless haste. It could have been a law enforcement officer in that room. He creeps in with his .45 drawn. He knew what to expect and he should have reasonably acted with due caution, he did not and an unarmed young man is dead. Those are simple facts.
That would have been in the police report if it was the case, it would be in the newspapers. My suspicion is that Bo Morrison raised his hand because he saw the gun and want to apologize/leave. That is the natural reaction in that sort of situation.
The teen might not have made a move with hostile intent. Doesn't matter. He made a move that could easily have been hostile. Or so the police report said, at any rate.
So why leave his family? He could have woken is children and waited with them while he called police. That would have been the sensible thing to do. He didn't do the sensible thing, he did the irrational, malicious thing drew his gun and went for trouble. This case deserves to go to trial, just because the case is hard, does not mean Bo Morrison doesn't deserve the just act of judicial review.
In other words, you want the shooter punished, even if you can't put him in jail. You want him to go through three years of expensive legal maneuverings and a public trial. "Not guilty" verdict after blowing his entire kid's college fund on a lawyer.
The news report didn't have the complete police report, so we can't know he wasn't carrying drugs. However, I'll concede that if he was carrying illegal drugs the news would have mentioned it. It did mention, however, that his BAC was 0.19, so his judgement was definitely impaired and he was illegally consuming alcohol.
Neither the police report nor the news outlet can tell us what was going through Morrison's mind in the last seconds of his life, so we'll never know. I don't know if he raised his hand; I don't know what was in his hand; and I don't know what, if anything, he might have been reaching for.
Why did he leave is family? What, do you call the cops ever time a pipe pings in the basement or a branch taps a window? Rouse the kids and lock them in your bedroom behind a barricaded door? What if it was an injured neighbor seeking help? What if the house, car, or outbuilding is on fire?
He heard something. Morrison was sneaking around, trying to avoid detection, in a room in his house. The homeowner makes contact. Now what?
The homeowner doesn't know Morrison from Adam. He doesn't know Morrison's history, his motive, or his state of mind. He doesn't know of Morrison is armed, doesn't know if Morrison has an accomplice.
There's a hell of a lot he doesn't know, the pressure and seriousness of the situation is high, and time is short. Unknowns and undesirable possibilities are whirling through his mind.
He DOES know that his family is nearby, the police are far away, and he's got the drop on at least one intruder.
What you you have him do? Retreat? Well, now he's got to back up almost blindly, in darkness, keeping his gun and eye on Morrison and making himself vulnerable to an accomplice or to a trip-and-fall. And once out of sight, Morrison will have a chance to draw a weapon and re-engage the homeowner on equal footing to prevent him from calling for help. Or set the house on fire to cover his escape.
Once contact is made, the homeowner's options become sharply limited. Surprise is gone, the intruder is alerted, and he's committed to covering Morrison until somebody, anybody, shows up and changes the circumstances.
In this case, Morrison made a movement. He was a wrestler, football player, and baseball player, which means he knows how to swing a weapon, tackle, and wrestle. He's probably pretty athletic, maybe a good bit larger and stronger than the homeowner. And he's drunk.
If that public defender is incompetent he can request a new trial. He should have thought about that before he raised that gun and pulled the trigger.
You can access the complete police report from this article as a PDF: http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/slinger-homeowner-wont-be-charged-in-fatal-shooting-9q4mdbl-143712626.html
I get it, you don't like duty to retreat, but frankly, it's been a sound legal principle for quite a long time. All these new Castle and Stand Your Ground laws are carbon copies of the right-wing agenda. You can stop with the hypotheticals and start doing so objective research into how these laws are applied. Here's a start: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/opinion/floridas-disastrous-self-defense-law.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
This should have gone to court. I hope the Morrison family contacts the State Attorney General's Office and the Justice Department.
Part of the continuing disparity between the rich and the poor. The state is too poor to successfully take on the massive legal departments of the wealthy and powerful, but they can damn sure ruin the lives of average people with legal fees.
What you're really about is making self-defense such a life-destroying process that people don't bother, they just huddle in the corner and beg for mercy because, let's face it, in your legal world that the preferable option.
In other words, the home-defender's life is ruined completely and utterly whether he shoots or not, because either the state or the criminal will smash his body and destroy whatever modest savings the home-defender has.
Wonderful world you want to live in.
Anyway, to the links in your post... first off, the prosecutor states that even with duty to retreat, it would have been pretty difficult to get a conviction.
Doesn't mean he wouldn't bring it to trial, of course.. public pressure can make that happen even with a virtually zero chance of success. And as stated above, trials cost $$$.
But it looks like Morrison stood up without saying anything and extended his hand towards the homeowner. According to the wife, the husband yelled three warnings before firing the shot.
And that room is tiny... less than 12x8 feet. Hell, the bedrooom that i'm in now is about that big, and I wound be very nervous holding somebody at gunpoint at this close a distance.
And let's not forget that Morrison wasn't exactly an angel:
[div class=excerpt style=background:#AFEEEE]9 Mr. Morrison likely had several reasons for running from the police on the night of March 3,2012' Not only did
he not want to receive an underage drinking ticket, but he was likely aware that he had two pending criminal cases
in Washington County and a conãition of the bond in those cases was that he maintain absolute sobriety. He also
had pendiñg criminal cases in Milwaukee County and Dane County. In the Dane County case, a condition of his
bond was that he not consume alcohol. He was likely aware that if he was caught by the police with alcohol in his
system, he would have been in violation of the bonds in his pending criminal cases, and he would likely have been
charged with the crime of Bail jumping for violating a condition of his bond.
It looks clean to me... and I have to hit the hay. 
...but he had no history of violence and he didn't deserve to have his life taken like that.
I have finished reading the D.A. report and there are numerous holes in its investigation, principally that it fails to establish the homeowners state of mind and thus to adequately consider the homeowners expectation of "reasonable" fear.
Part of the continuing disparity between the rich and the poor. The state is too poor to successfully take on the massive legal departments of the wealthy and powerful, but they can damn sure ruin the lives of average people with legal fees.
What you're really about is making self-defense such a life-destroying process that people don't bother, they just huddle in the corner and beg for mercy because, let's face it, in your legal world that the preferable option.
In other words, the home-defender's life is ruined completely and utterly whether he shoots or not, because either the state or the criminal will smash his body and destroy whatever modest savings the home-defender has.
Wonderful world you want to live in.
Many states don't have this absurd law and function just fine..
You seem to have a very low opinion of our court system.
After pounding on the car and telling a female inside to turn down the volume, he got into a brief verbal confrontation with the car's occupants before going back inside his residence and calling police.
-----------
The man told investigators he heard noises by the back porch, thought someone might be breaking in and grabbed and his loaded revolver.
-----------
The man then asked Morrison what he was doing there before Morrison stood up, raised his hand and took a step toward him.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/slinger-homeowner-wont-be-charged-in-fatal-shooting-9q4mdbl-143712626.html
This homeowner called the police on a teenage party. His story doesn't jive, did he hear someone in the house, it's a small area, did he announce himself, did Bo Morrison announce himself. What do the ballistics show. I don't want you to soothe my "raging moral indignation," I want you to accept the evidence we do have and accept the fact that this appears to many to be a white wash and another sign of ridiculous self-defense law. If it was so dark and he was so threatened...why didn't he retreat. He had no reason to act in haste. I'm sorry but there's more too this story.
This guy had a history with these kids. He fired before his question was answered. He committed a crime IMHO, and I hope this case attracts the attention Trayvon Martin did.
Not all states have these ridiculous castle and stand-your-ground laws. If this happens in California, there would be a trial. These determinations ought to be for judge and jury to make, not police and prosecutors.
I'm going to stop arguing with and send this shit to Al Sharpton. Where is the justice in America?
This isn't going to go away. Talk about pouring fuel on the Trayvon Martin fire. Enough is enough with these gunslingers and their Castle Law. Where is the justice?
It's pointless, thoughtless gun violence. Look them in the face and say this okay.
"I don't think that man should have shot my son like that." - Murray Morrison.
...pull his smirking face (watch the news video) out of his ass and actually make a case for malice. He had a prior confrontation with the party goers and had called the police less than an hour beforehand.
