No charges filed against homeowner accused of shooting Bo Morrison

[ellisonz]

92. Stupid question.

I think this guy acted with malice and with forethought. I think this is a matter for a judge and jury to make a determination and not a prosecutor.

Laura Segrin
about 2 hours ago
2 people like this reason

I'm asking everyone to put yourself in the Morrison family's shoes for just a minute. Ask yourself "What if this was my child or brother?" Don't say that it never will be because you cannot predict the future or what mistakes your child will or will not make. It can happen to any of us. Bo was hiding from the police to avoid an underage drinking ticket. This was not a crime that warranted death.

He was unarmed and was non-confrontational. The shooter stated that Bo did not say anything to him before he killed him. Bo took a step toward the shooter with his arms up, making it obvious that he wasn't armed. He had to walk past the shooter in order to get out of the porch as the shooter was between Bo and the door to the backyard. He was shot when he took that first step.

This gun owner claims to have extensive training and experience in firearm handling. If this is so, then responsible handling would be a reasonable expectation. A responsible gun owner would not discharge a weapon into a dark room at the first sign of movement. I read the 27-page District Attorney's report, and the gun owner stated several times that "he did not think about it, he just reacted." A responsible gun owner would think first and then react.

The shooter heard a noise, loaded his weapon with 6 bullets, opened the door from his kitchen to his porch, entered the porch, and shot in the dark at the first sign of movement. I've been awakened by noises in the night, and have never gone to investigate with a fully-loaded 6-shooter. I certainly wouldn't enter a room separated by a closed door if I suspected the noise to be coming from it, I would have called 911. In the time that it took for him to go to his shelf where he kept his unloaded gun in a case, remove the gun from the case, load it with 6 rounds, walk through the kitchen, open the door to the porch, and enter the porch (all in the dark), he could have called 911 and had the police there probably quicker considering they were only 1/2 block away according to the DA's report.

There were several other options for this homeowner that night. He could have used non-lethal mace to immobilize Bo and called 911 to come and arrest him and take him to jail. He chose to kill Bo instead. This behavior is not acceptable.

I've known Bo for about 11 years. I watched him grow up with my kids. He and my son were on a softball team together. He worked with my kids at a local restaurant. Bo was not a bad person. He was a good kid who made some mistakes, none of which deserved the death penalty.

Please put yourself in the Morrisons' shoes for a minute, and don't allow this to happen again.

To the Morrison family...
My deepest and sincere sympathies to all of you. Bo was a good friend to and loved by many. His beautiful smile will be sadly missed.

https://www.change.org/petitions/wisconsin-state-legislature-repeal-the-castle-doctrine-law-justice-for-bo-morrison