Retired firefighter who fired shotgun at black teen asking for directions gets up to 10 years...

[DonViejo]

Last edited Tue Nov 13, 2018, 04:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: NBC News


Retired firefighter who fired shotgun at black teen asking for directions gets up to 10 years in prison

"I have full remorse and regret and I wish I could change something, but we can’t go back in time,” Jeffrey Zeigler said Tuesday during his sentencing.

Nov. 13, 2018 / 10:25 AM EST
By Minyvonne Burke

A white retired firefighter in Michigan found guilty of firing a shotgun from his porch at a black teenager who knocked on his front door because he was lost was sentenced Tuesday to four to 10 years in prison.

Jeffrey Zeigler, dressed in a grey jumpsuit with his hands shackled in front of him, appeared in an Oakland County courtroom where a judge sentenced him to two to 10 years for one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two years for one count of felony firearm. He was convicted on Oct. 12.

The sentences will be consecutive, meaning Zeigler will serve at least two years for the assault count and another two years for the firearm count, the judge said.

Zeigler, 53, was seen on home surveillance video around 8:20 a.m. ET on April 12 shooting at Brennan Walker as the teen fled down the street. Walker told police that he had missed his school bus that morning and got lost as he was walking through Rochester Hills.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/retired-firefighter-who-fired-shotgun-black-teen-asking-directions-gets-n935611?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma

[Bfd]

1. Appropriate.

[Progressive Jones]

16. Being violent, racist trash doesn't pay any more. nt

[Bfd]

17. They're so much more arrogant with a gun aren't they. What's he gonna do now without it?

Pitiful ain't it.

[Hoyt]

2. Good. Gunners need to learn they can't shoot unarmed people in back for no reason other than hatred.

[LittleGirl]

3. whoa

I didn't expect that. I figured he'd get off scot free.
good he didn't.
yay, justice prevailed.

[laserhaas]

5. Unreal that justice prevailed

Especially against a public servant.

Extremely rare!

[Firestorm49]

4. My question is not how long, but how soon.

I imagine that most people get some kind of relief knowing that someone was sentenced to serve “X” number of years in prison. What’s more significant to me is what is the minimum amount of time that will be spent behind bars until the bum is released.
Manafort, or Cohen, or Trump, or Stone, Jared, Ivanka, McMaster, or, (fill in the blank) will make headlines at the time of sentencing, but be out on the streets in no time - often with little to no fanfare, because as we all know, there are two standards of incarceration - one for them that got, and one for them that don’t. Truth in sentencing needs to make a vicious comeback.

[laserhaas]

6. It was just published that the Penn Judge who jailed teens for $ kickbacks

Is going to get anew trial

[BlueWI]

20. Even if he gets nine months in jail, it's a message.

His reputation is permanently sullied, due to his own actions. And soon he'll be in lockdown.

I haven't lived in a prison but I have spoken in them on a couple of occasions. Nine months might seem short to us, but it won't seem short to him.

And he's looking at multiple years. Incarceration from age 53 to age 57, probably as a first time in the system? It's hard for me to wish that on anyone, even though it's called for based on the severity of his actions. Calling for more years is beside the point, IMO. He's about to learn some lessons that are hard to forget.

[Nitram]

7. Good to see Justice, for a change.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Here is the kicker from the article

He claimed he believed Walker was trying to rob him and the shotgun accidentally fired when he tripped. Authorities, however, said the home surveillance video showed Zeigler clearly aimed the gun at the teen.

Typical "going to school while black".

[marble falls]

9. I imagine his next four years minimum are going to be a time of grim reflection.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Too bad his hysterical wife didn't receive a couple of years for formenting the incident.

[Bengus81]

11. Shucks....Trump loses another vote in 2020.........

[Catherine Vincent]

12. Good news!

What if he hadn't missed and shot this kid dead?

[Ferrets are Cool]

13. I hope this means he doesn't ever get to OWN firearms again. nt

[catbyte]

14. More proof that my beloved state is rebounding from its brush with evil.

[Honeycombe8]

15. I just can't understand what he thought he was doing...

I know he didn't think he was shooting at an innocent teenager. I know he thought he heard some arguing when his wife was speaking to the boy...I think the wife was flipping out just because he was a black youth, and the husband may have assumed something else because of that.

Such a waste for all involved. His life will be wasted for 10 years. The wife will do without her spouse for 10 years. The youth will carry this nightmare with him the rest of his life. So unnecessary.

[angstlessk]

18. The boy was running AWAY...no threat to him OR his wife!

[Honeycombe8]

19. Yeah, I know. It's a good thing, or he would've been killed.

So unnecessary. If they're that freaked out by black people, they should quit answering the door without knowing who is there or looking through the peephole.