Armed Citizen Facing Murder Charges After Intervening In Domestic Dispute At Gas Station

MILTON, WEST VIRGINIA — Carl Rose Jr. was at a gas station back in May when he saw a domestic violence incident unfolding. Rose approached the couple with a handgun, apparently trying to stop the incident from continuing. The man, James Oldham, then turned his attention to Rose.

Law enforcement claim to have learned that Oldham and his wife were engaged in some sort of a domestic dispute when Rose intervened with a pistol. An altercation between Rose and Oldham ensued. The former shot the latter and Oldham gave chase. Rose, however, allegedly continued firing his weapon and Oldham was shot multiple times in the back, according to local CBS/FOX affiliate WCHS.

via lawandcrime.com

39-year-old Rose is now facing second-degree murder charges as a result. Surveillance video from the gas station apparently shows Oldham turn and begin moving in the opposite direction after Rose fires the first shot, and Rose continues to shoot as Oldham retreats.

A frequent topic that we discuss surrounds this very thing, and that is shooting at a fleeing suspect. The decision to do so, in the majority of cases, is not warranted and will land you in troubled positions like Rose is currently facing.

Possibly to his advantage, a new 911 call was released that clearly indicates the woman with Oldham was in danger at the time of the shooting.

A woman called 911 after seeing Oldham driving erratically and followed him to the gas station. She was concerned about the woman inside the vehicle with Oldham, and gave the 911 operator a play-by-play of what she was witnessing.

“He is hitting her with something, he is trying to pull her out of the car,” the 911 caller said. “Oh God, there is a guy with a gun. He saw the guy try to hurt that lady. Someone needs to get up here quick.”

The caller said that Oldham was up close and personal with Rose, and that’s when Rose pulled the trigger.

“He’s got the guy at gunpoint right now. Oh God, he just shot! There’s shots everywhere. Oh God, he’s down!” said the caller.

It’s quite obvious that Rose was trying his best to do good in this situation and help a woman who was in danger, but even with this glowing review from the 911 caller, it’s still incredibly dicey territory when you’ve shot someone in the back.

“The guy that shot him was trying to protect her because the guy was hitting her. He was hurting her,” said the caller.

I can’t blame Rose for getting involved the way that he did, but also realize that domestic issues are some of the most difficult things to handle and can be widely unpredictable.

And never forget, if you ever shoot someone in the back, prepare to be defending yourself for years to come, in a situation that you may likely not win.