CULLMAN COUNTY, AL — One man’s questionable defensive gun use not only earned him criticism for his behavior — it cost his son his life.
He thought that a random thug was stealing his truck, but he was mistaken — his son was just borrowing it on Christmas Eve.
Now the family will never be the same.
As AJC.com reports:
Family members are mourning the death of 22-year-old Logan Trammell, who was driving away from his parent’s home in Cullman County just before midnight on Christmas Eve in one of his father’s vehicles. His father, however, happened to be sitting in his camper outside of the house and was unaware that his son was coming over to borrow his truck. He yelled and fired off a warning shot at the driver, whom he assumed was a car thief. When that was unsuccessful, he shot at the truck, which immediately stopped.
He then opened the truck door to discover he had just accidentally killed his own son.
There is so much wrong with this situation, but let’s break it down to two main points:
First, no one needs to be firing shots at vehicles that are driving away.
At that point, if there ever was a threat, it’s gone. No one’s leaning out the window, brandishing a firearm. No one’s trying to run the man down with the car. If this were an attempted theft, it wasn’t one that held danger at that point for the homeowner. Already, this homeowner is out of line, making passersby vulnerable, and opening himself up to a world of legal trouble.
Second, check your freaking target.
I am sick and tired of writing stories in which a family member is shot by another because nerves got a hold of them.
You do not pull the trigger unless you know what you’re aiming at. “It was dark” is not an excuse.
Please stay safe out there, folks. We can’t have tragedies like this.
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