General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Deputies shoot man in his front yard He was getting cigarette out of his mother's car [View all]Igel
(35,531 posts)Sometimes it's hard to imagine how it would, and the existence of alternative ways of accomplishing that intent would also matter.
So if I am trespassing in a store, it's an illegal act. Can there be extenuating circumstances? Sure. I was held at gunpoint and forced into the store. Perhaps I saw somebody kidnap a young girl and drag her into the store. Perhaps I heard somebody screaming for help. The "good intent" had better seem reasonable, however.
If I'm caught robbing a store, though, it's harder to find extenuating circumstances. Feeding your family? Well, perhaps, but if you're taking cash or jewelry, no. The "extenuating circumstance" also doesn't change what you were doing. If you trespass for a good reason, you're not there to trespass. If you rob because your family's hungry, you are there to rob.
Intent mattered for the guy who shot the kid he accused, sort of, of stealing his shotgun. And it's going to matter for the guy who was drinking and shot one of the two kids in his living room--did he shoot them as they walked in without warning, did he shoot them as he showed them his guns, or did he lure them in saying he was going to show them but really intended to kill one?
And it will matter for the police. Doesn't look good for them, though, but if it's dark and the guy disobeyed instructions it'll go better. It'll also matter what the neighborhood's like, but the cops' "common experiences" and "interpretation of history" won't matter all that much.