Georgia man shoots and kills young Latino who accidentally pulled into his driveway, police say

[Newsjock]

Source: NBC Latino

Rodrigo Diaz, 22, was driving around with his girlfriend and two friends when he pulled into a driveway, thinking they had arrived at another friend’s house, his brother says. But instead he pulled into the driveway of Phillip Sailors, 69, who thought his home was being robbed, his lawyer says. Sailors then shot Diaz, according to the police report, citing what Sailors told officers at the scene. Diaz later died while in the intensive care unit.

“Basically, what happened is they were looking for one of my brother’s girlfriend’s friends,” says his brother David E. Diaz-Valencia, 23. “The guy came outside and my brother’s girlfriend said he was screaming, ‘Get off my property!’ and he shot into the air. My brother was backing out fast because he was scared and he rolled down the window to say he was sorry and he was not doing anything wrong. Then the guy shot him in his head.”

... Police arrested Sailors, of Lilburn, Georgia, who was booked into the Gwinnett County jail Sunday afternoon and charged with murder, according to the police report.

... Sailors’ lawyer says his client is a Vietnam veteran with no prior criminal history and thought he and his wife were about to be victims of a home invasion. “You have to understand this is a 69-year-old man who is a military veteran who has been honorably discharged,” Michael Puglise says. “He dedicated his life to community service, specifically the Christian Lay Ministry in Latin America.”

Read more: http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/29/georgia-man-shoots-and-kills-young-latino-who-accidentally-pulled-into-his-driveway-police-say/

[babylonsister]

1. Murder is murder; the guy never even got out of his car?? nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. shot him in the head? OMG

[marions ghost]

3. And this is what happens

when you shoot first & ask questions later.

This is what happens when you think of your house as a fortress against invaders.

[randome]

4. Oh. Well, if he was once in the Christian Lay Ministry, all's good, right?

For one second, the only thing he dedicated his life to was to end another's.

[Odin2005]

35. It's all OK, he's a "Good Christian"!

[earthside]

5. According to the 'everyone should be armed" crowd ...

... this will probably considered a positive development.

We are going to see a lot less mistakes from human beings if they are always afraid that they might get shot to death if they make a mistake.

So, never make a mistake.

Besides the victim of the non-home invasion was a veteran and a Christian ... so if he made a mistake it doesn't count because he doesn't have to be perfect since he is forgiven.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. I am willing to bet the guy watches Fox all the time.

[Wait Wut]

7. "“I don’t want anything bad for him...

...just for him to be put in jail, he needs to pay for what he did"

From the victim's brother, who seems like a gentle forgiving soul. I wouldn't be.

[longship]

8. Guns are the solution?

Fuck the gunsels! Put them back into the gungeon where they belong.

Sick of this shit. DU is turning into NRA when so many threads are about their precious guns.

Gollum!

[monmouth3]

9. Watch him use the Stand Your Ground defense if it's used in Georgia...n/t

[Incitatus]

10. Sorry, serving in a war 40 years ago is no excuse to kill someone like that.

May you spend the rest of your life in jail.

[EarthWindFire]

11. LIFE

In prison

[backscatter712]

12. How long until the gunbaggers come out with their Gadsden flags and cry "He Stood His Ground!!!"? nt

[Blue_Tires]

16. How long before they start digging for dirt to smear the reputation of the deceased??

I hope to the gods that Diaz doesn't have so much as a speeding ticket on his criminal record...

(I saw that stunt play out last year in disgusting fashion for another high-profile case, and I'll still never forgive the DUers who took part in it)

[Odin2005]

36. I think most of the posters bashing Trayvon were trolls.

A lot of them have been PPR'd, thank God!

[Blue_Tires]

41. Most were, but there are still quite a few I see here daily...

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. Horrific

Gun nut assholes will defend the murderer here. Bank that.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

15. Anyone here who defends, or tries to rationalize this should receive an automatic PPR. IMO n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

32. Maybe the old man was genuinely frightened.

That doesn't excuse his actions. The murder charges are appropriate.

Should I be tombstoned?

I really don't like the totalitarian impulse.

[eShirl]

39. Of course he was frightened; beneath racism's hatred lies fear.

Just a typical scared-shitless racist with a gun.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. The gun nuts are getting more and more brazen

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Is Georgia a SYG state?

[RebelOne]

22. Yes. n/t

[ManiacJoe]

24. It does not matter.

Before you can claim SYG, you first have to claim self defense. In this case, the self defense claim will not hold.

[no_hypocrisy]

33. I agree. I asked b/c I predict the defendant will go for SYG for a defense.

[Odin2005]

38. The victim wasn't lily-white, so he thinks he can probably get away with it.

Look at all the RW assholes defending George Zimmerman.

[frylock]

19. hope he finds a way to continue his community service from prison

[Courtesy Flush]

20. “You have to understand"

“You have to understand this is a 69-year-old man who is a military veteran who has been honorably discharged,”

How is that a mitigating factor? Serve your country, get a pass on shooting people. Where's the logic in this?

[hatrack]

26. Exactly - oh, and he used to do mission work, so no worries (insert vomiting noise here)

Unbelievable. Stupid, paranoid, heavily armed fucking MORONS everywhere.

[ManiacJoe]

27. It is not a mitigating factor.

However, there is no harm in the lawyer attempting it.

[RebelOne]

21. Sailors is being held on malice murder.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/warrant-23-year-old-man-fatally-shot-while-driving/nT8rm/

[Honeycombe8]

23. OMG. What a tragedy. So unnecessary. nt

[MrScorpio]

25. I guess that he was just itching to use his gun…

Thinking beforehand, not so much.

[Kablooie]

28. This guy should be locked up for life. He's more dangerous than traditional criminals.

[Hoyt]

29. There will be plenty who find poor, pitiful armed Sailors the victim here. Stand your Driveway BS.

Gungeoneers will say Sailors should be charged with murder, but none will say we need to take steps to stop the problems we have with guns. Nope, convict those who shoot someone like this, but do nothing to try and stop the next law-abiding gun owner who goes rogue (perhaps because of medications, age, mental health, etc., beyond their control for most part).

In fact, as long as they have theirs (and all they can acquire), they could not care less about how others view the issue. To appease the members of gun culture, I know not all of them, but a big bunch are like that.

[doc03]

30. This country is just going insane n/t

[Dawson Leery]

31. Mr. Sailor should have no right to own any firearms.

[Odin2005]

34. RW psychos!

[Marrah_G]

37. Dear defense lawyer

Being a veteran and a christian does not give your client a right to murder a young man. ESPECIALLY one who was backing away from him.

[Iggo]

40. Good guys with guns.

Yeah.

[bullwinkle428]

42. A lot of these 2A-absolutists are just itching for the chance to blow away

someone with more pigmentation at the slightest opportunity. Just look at all of the CSA/white supremacy/Nazi shit present at gun shows.

I hope this fucker spends the rest of his life in prison.

[SWTORFanatic]

43. NRA: was the gun hurt when the police ordered him to drop it?