A black teen ran out with a $2 beer. Then a Tennessee store clerk followed him and shot him dead

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: CNN

A jury found a grocery clerk guilty of killing a 17-year-old boy who ran out of the store with a beer he didn't pay for in Memphis, Tennessee, in a case that had sparked protests, authorities said.

Anwar Ghazali was convicted of second-degree murder after a four-day trial, Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich said Friday.

"This defendant took it upon himself to be the judge and jury and the executioner over a $2 beer," prosecutor Lora Fowler said, according to CNN affiliate WMC.

The shooting happened in March 2018, after Dorian Harris walked out of the Top Stop Shop with a beer without paying, Weirich said.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-black-teen-ran-out-with-a-dollar2-beer-then-a-tennessee-store-clerk-followed-him-and-shot-him-dead/ar-AAFWkml?li=BBnb7Kz

[msongs]

1. shoulda been first degree. picking up a gun is intent to use nt

[Chemisse]

7. Disagree.

A person can pick up a gun and use it in the heat of a moment. Premeditation would be knowing this kid is coming and bringing the gun to work in anticipation of the event.

[thesquanderer]

17. If you keep a gun at the counter so you can use it against someone who tries to rob/steal from you,

couldn't that be a premeditation? I mean, if that's the intent of having the gun there in the first place?

[radical noodle]

18. I'm no lawyer

but I think that would not count as premeditation. After all, there is the possibility that someone might come in with a gun and try to shoot. That would be legitimate self-defense.

[cstanleytech]

19. I disagree. If the store clerk was defending himself that's one thing but his life was not

danger after the kid ran out of the store so he has no legitimate reason to chase after the kid and shoot him.

[Chemisse]

21. Still in the heat of the moment, imo.

But I'm certainly no lawyer. I've always understood premeditation to require more than a few seconds of passion-filled "thought."

Clearly it was a very wrong thing to do and I'm glad he was charged with the highest level possible. Luckily he wasn't a cop or he would be walking free right now.

[IronLionZion]

2. Guns make any dispute so much worse

and people are often not calm or rational when using them like in this case.

Calling police might be a more effective deterrent to theft than pulling out a gun. Plus the shop owner could file an insurance claim with the police report and any surveillance footage, and not risk others stealing stuff while he's outside chasing the perp. The gun option should be saved to defend against an armed robbery or something serious like that.

On a related note, Trumpsters would find this story to be a win-win for all the worst reasons, because of the people involved.

[Sneederbunk]

3. If shooter was a cop there would be different outcome.

Also, headline indicates that it is important that teen was black, but not that clerk was Mid-Eastern.

[IronLionZion]

10. You know why

Because it's a problem when black teens are viewed as dangerous criminals. Too many have been killed for no good reason.

Middle Eastern/Muslims are viewed as dangerous terrorists. Racists love a good excuse to be racist. There's plenty of racism to go around. And there is racism between non-white minority groups. There are also economic conflicts when brown or Asian minorities own stores in black neighborhoods.

Agree that there would be a different outcome if the shooter were a cop. Cops should be held to similar standards if murdering an unarmed teen running away with a stolen beer.

[oldsoftie]

11. Yes, whats left out is just as important as whats not. But thats typical.

But thats SOP depending on the source too

[jb5150]

4. How exactly ...

is a teenager running away an imminent threat to your life, deserving of a lethal response?

[melm00se]

5. Good

as a gun owner yutzes like this give us all a bad name...no imminent danger of fear for one's life.

[VarryOn]

12. Exactly! Nt

[elleng]

6. Anwar Ghazali, think he thought his job in jeopardy for thefts by 'customers?'

[Chemisse]

8. I have no sympathy.

There are much better ways to deter shoplifters.

[NYC Liberal]

22. "I might get fired so I should murder someone."

[Video Drone]

9. Would Ghazali have been convicted if he were White?

A video clip from the time:

I find this sad. Whenever one non-white ethnic group is pitted against another, I want to scream at them about TPTB setting up the conditions for conflict and sowing discord between them, the old D-and-C tactic.

[pecosbob]

13. A similar indicent occurred in Las Vegas recently but didn't get much exposure

She's on bond awaiting trial for murder. I work in a similar store across town so I followed the story as best I could. In all the local coverage I never saw a single story that referred to the deceased's ethnicity. The clerk is hispanic.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/police-say-las-vegas-store-clerk-shot-beer-thief-as/article_238df742-55a7-11e9-86c7-4356595713c0.html

[Xipe Totec]

14. Sadly, in Texas he would have been acquitted.

Texas allows defending property with deadly force.

[Scarsdale]

15. I do not condone the

use of violence, however there may be another twist to this story. A local liquor store is owned and operated by an Indian couple. Hardworking people, raising two teenagers. I shop there occasionally, and enjoy talking to them, well educated folks. A while ago there was an article in the newspaper about him chasing teens with a baseball bat. When I asked him about it, he told me that he had observed these same teens stealing from the store, but could not catch them. The police did nothing. He was stocking shelves, and saw on the security mirrors the teens entering the store. He locked the doors and threatened them with the bat, possibly hitting one of them. He let them go, and the mother of one of them came by to complain to him. He told her to tell her kids to stop stealing, then he would not have to threaten them. He was fined. I told him he should have told the mother to prepare to visit her son in prison, because if he keeps up the stealing that is where he is headed. She should have thanked him, maybe he put a thought into his head that he can not get away with this behavior all the time.

[McCamy Taylor]

23. Threatening with a bat is not the same as shooting in the back.

[Scarsdale]

24. How would you feel

if you worked hard daily, then the same kids come into the store and steal from you? I would be frustrated, too. No, shooting someone should not be acceptable, but wouldn't you think that some of these "kids" would think twice before stealing? Maybe the shopkeeper had had more than enough of this stealing.

[mac56]

26. "Maybe the shopkeeper had had more than enough of this stealing."

Oh, well, then.

[FJLACAFTA]

16. Crime does not pay

For a 2 Dollar can of beer the last thing I am going to do is put my life in someone else's hands... very tragic and sad.

[Blue_Tires]

25. kick