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Are people so fed up with crime and the criminal justice system that they are taking the law into their own hands? Or are some individuals watching too many "Dirty Harry" movies and a little quick to pull the trigger? In Oregon recently, Gresham police say Witter, 48, was in an AT&T store when he witnessed two men stealing multiple iPhones. It's unclear from the press reports whether the perpetrators stuck the joint up or just shoplifted the phones. But based on Witter's actions, hopefully it was the former as opposed to the latter. Witter didn't call the cops. He just ran after the thieves with his gun drawn.
He fired several shots at what he believed was the suspects' getaway car. Witter told police he intended to "shoot out the tires," but it was unclear where the rounds actually ended up. Police officials said it could have been a disaster.
Witter fired in a direct line with the Gresham City Hall Max station and the adjacent Park & Ride, an area loaded with foot traffic. Witter told police he didn't feel that his own life was in danger. He didn't think anyone else was in any danger either. He said he was "trying to help police."
Multnomah County Officers ended up arresting Witter, accusing him of unlawful use of a weapon, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and unlawful discharge of a firearm. His handgun and concealed weapons permit were seized.
"It is important to remember that no matter how frustrated one may be with crime and the criminal justice system, it is not permissible to use deadly force in this type of situation," Gresham Sgt. Rick Wilson said in announcing Witter's arrest at a press conference. "Those two rounds could've gone anywhere.
In fact, we're still not sure where they went. They could have struck an innocent bystander." A gun lobbyist said that he understood that Witter was trying to do the right thing. But his judgment was poor. "I understand the person's frustration," gun lobbyist Kevin Starrett, with the Oregon Firearms Federation, a pro-firearms group, told the Associated Press when asked to comment.
"I can understand his desire to be helpful. But it was not the thing to do. You can't shoot someone's tires out; it's just not TV." No one has to tell a cop that "shooting to wound," or shooting out the tires of a getaway car in a busy area is the stuff of television and movies. That reality is unfortunately lost on many civilians.
The two suspects, who fled in a silver-colored Chrysler, remained at large at the time this article was written Witter, meanwhile, has been released from jail. "Witter talked to The Oregonian newspaper about his ordeal.
"I'm not a cowboy," he said. "I'm not a hero. I was just doing what I always try to do: help."
Unfortunately sometimes "helping" is the quickest way to make a dangerous situation infinitely worse. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
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