Challenging read- Special ops soldier won’t face charges after fatally shooting civilian on his property

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Had someone from State Farm come out to take pictures of my property for insurance reasons. She was wearing a hi-vis vest, hat, and state farm ID. I was out working on my yard when she came. Told me the exact reason why she was here and that was that, I let her do her thing.

This entire thing could have been prevented had the company done just about anything at all to identify its employee. They also shouldn't be sending someone out who can't speak English. Tragic what happened but the man did what was necessary to protect himself and his property.
Yeah had the same with a guy come out.

All I was thinking "how can I cheese a wood burner in the shop without them knowing?" 🤪 :LOL: :ROFLMAO:
Well I was. Being honest here.
 
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Generally speaking castle doctrine and "stand your ground" laws are broadly written but vary by state. In any case always remember that the official report is often times based solely on the the individual who survives the encounter.
Versus what ? A crystal ball ?
 
How does one get that job in the USA doing this without speaking English..
That job sounds like it can be done almost entirely from public property, taking pictures and notating existing equipment. I see no reason for them to have to speak English. Would it help ? Sure. The sheriff deputy who ran across the same guy had no issues.... 🤷‍♂️
 
In many states, "Castle Doctrine" applies to house and "curtilege" but it's ambigious where curtilege ends and regular land begins.
How about protecting one's self from violence ? Where does that begin and end ?
 
They're not coming.

"As the dispatcher explained that officers were on another call — which the sheriff’s office said in its statement was a life-threatening medical call — the wife is heard in the recording speaking to someone on the scene."

Up to you at that point - but "waiting for" something that isn't coming is a distortion of this guy's choices.

If you choose not to confront, I get it.

But if you think your house and family is being "cased" for a future problem, then sitting and doing nothing is just that - doing nothing.
Reaction is not a prerequisite for self defense.

What I mean by that is:

Lets say you and I are in an arguement. (We know each other BTW, in this hypo).....

I know that you carry a gun in your truck..... You tell me: I am going to go to my truck and get my gun and shoot you! You turn your back, moving toward the gun, and the truck, I would have every right in the world to shoot you in the back. Because of what I KNEW.

Of course, the threat must be BOTH immediate and unavoidable.

I agree, if someone just breaks in your house, with you there, they are willing to enter WITH people inside, to achieve their goal...........you dont have to wait to find out their goal. It shows their willingness to enter danger, so I say, seek and you shall find.
 
Versus what ? A crystal ball ?
Versus surviving and making sure authorities receive the full story. The fight/flight reflex vs a perceived threat is very strong and it's plausible that some "aggressive actions" are actually a response to an aggressive act from the lone survivor of the encounter. An aggressive act could be something as simple as the act of aiming a gun at someone.

Stand your ground laws are written where the survivor almost always controls the narrative.
 
Reaction is not a prerequisite for self defense.

What I mean by that is:

Lets say you and I are in an arguement. (We know each other BTW, in this hypo).....

I know that you carry a gun in your truck..... You tell me: I am going to go to my truck and get my gun and shoot you! You turn your back, moving toward the gun, and the truck, I would have every right in the world to shoot you in the back. Because of what I KNEW.

Of course, the threat must be BOTH immediate and unavoidable.

I agree, if someone just breaks in your house, with you there, they are willing to enter WITH people inside, to achieve their goal...........you dont have to wait to find out their goal. It shows their willingness to enter danger, so I say, seek and you shall find.
The key elements of a threat - ability, opportunity, and intent.

They all have to be there.

You don’t have to wait for the action, if the intent is clear, they have the ability, and the opportunity exists.
 
The key elements of a threat - ability, opportunity, and intent.

They all have to be there.

You don’t have to wait for the action, if the intent is clear, they have the ability, and the opportunity exists.
You got it.

I have never been an advocate of shoot first and ask questions later.

IMO if you have time to think about whether or not the shoot is clean, it is probably not.
 
“Officials said the encounter turned deadly when Daraev reportedly became “agitated and lunged at the homeowner after repeatedly refusing to leave the property.””

Emphasis added - End of story.

Any reputable company would train the workers to remove themselves from this situation, not lunge at a homeowner. They would also provide appropriate identification and PPE as well as require some sort appropriate attire.

Frankly - the details of the work being done seem sketchy... Russian Server? Photos of Infrastructure?
 
Emphasis added - End of story.

Any reputable company would train the workers to remove themselves from this situation, not lunge at a homeowner. They would also provide appropriate identification and PPE as well as require some sort appropriate attire.

Frankly - the details of the work being done seem sketchy... Russian Server? Photos of Infrastructure?
All true, but the grown-up thing to do is to consider how this situation might have been de-escalated so that some person does not end up dead. There were at least four parties who could have individually acted, alone, unilaterally, and changed the outcome. I am less concerned about the justification for the shot. It probably was justified, but it is on the shooter's conscience. I don't envy him even with the favorable inquiry outcome.
 
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There's a lot about this story that doesn't smell right. It's never clear if the contractor was on a utility right-of-way or truly on private property. One story says he was 250 ft. from the road. I know even if I was legally allowed to be on a right-of way/easement and an angry armed person approached me, my first inclination would be to retreat, which makes the two bullets in his back problematic. One would expect a Colonel in Special Ops to know how to de-escalate a situation dealing with someone merely carrying a cell phone.
 
There's a lot about this story that doesn't smell right. It's never clear if the contractor was on a utility right-of-way or truly on private property. One story says he was 250 ft. from the road. I know even if I was legally allowed to be on a right-of way/easement and an angry armed person approached me, my first inclination would be to retreat, which makes the two bullets in his back problematic. One would expect a Colonel in Special Ops to know how to de-escalate a situation dealing with someone merely carrying a cell phone.
The trigger puller was a Colonel? I surely missed that. Being a special ops officer means he could have been many different branches, medical services, signal, chemical, finance, adjunct general, quartermaster. None of the branches prepare an officer for close contact like an infantryman, military police, armour, etc might.

It is much easier to be a Monday morning quarterback. One only needs to look at the Ulvade shootings to know what can and does happen when one doesn't take decisive action against a potential immediate threat.
 
Emphasis added - End of story.
That's what I would say happened too (or something similar). Dead men don't talk....

Frankly - the details of the work being done seem sketchy... Russian Server? Photos of Infrastructure?
The investigation confirmed that he really worked for the company and the company is real and doing real work in that area.
 
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Chechnian, entered the country illegally from the Southern border, claimed to fight for the Russians illegally against an ally, taking pictures of a Spec Ops soldier's family? The Spec Ops guys guys I know would not have shown as much restraint as this reported colonel did. Any non-English speaking Russian language individual taking pictures of their house or family would be assumed to be hostile. Refusal to leave and taking an aggressive step towards the soldier would be more than enough reason to use deadly force.
 
So it might be “that he was a Chechen national who had served in the Russian military and fought in Ukraine".
If so, how was he in our country legally?
Where had this Army officer been deployed and what had he been involved in there?
I suspect that American advisors in Ukraine are about as rare as zebras in Africa.
There is a lot more to this story that we'll never be told, but this sounds like a good shoot.
 
decisive action against a potential immediate threat.
But, was he? If I see someone on my property pointing a gun at my house, yeah, I probably going to let all the air out him. One guy carrying a cell phone, possibly on a public utility easement? I'm certainly going to see what he's up to before I run inside and get my heater.
 
“Officials said the encounter turned deadly when Daraev reportedly became “agitated and lunged at the homeowner after repeatedly refusing to leave the property.””
The homeowner called 911, twice, about people on his property. The sheriff said they were on another call and couldn’t come.

“Digital evidence confirmed that Daraev was taking pictures of power poles in the direction of the residence, which was reportedly perceived by the homeowner as taking pictures of the home and homeowner’s children,”

"The confrontation escalated when Daraev reportedly became agitated and lunged at the homeowner after repeatedly refusing to leave the property," said a Sheriff's Office's news release. "The homeowner reported firing several shots in response to Daraev’s advance. Under the North Carolina Castle Doctrine, the homeowner's actions are protected, providing legal justification for using defensive force."
https://www.wunc.org/news/2024-08-13/killing-ramzan-daraev-moore-county-utility-worker-army

Not a tragic story at all. The utility worker was an idiot, became aggressive, and attacked the home owner, who had a weapon. The guy defended himself and his family, end of story. The home owner will probably have some legal bills and maybe a civil suit but maybe he can sue the utility company.

I can see the utility workers family winning a law suit because he didn't receive a training manual in Chechen, ID, or work attire.

 
But, was he? If I see someone on my property pointing a gun at my house, yeah, I probably going to let all the air out him. One guy carrying a cell phone, possibly on a public utility easement? I'm certainly going to see what he's up to before I run inside and get my heater.
Again, Monday morning quarterback response.

At dusk, wearing clothing that made zero sense. Could easily have been a terrorist forward observer for a drone mission. Actually a very feasible situation given what drones are capable of today. That camera/ smartphone might have easily have been a range finder/ laser guidance.

I am going to emphasize the at dusk part of the key facts. That plays a significant role in information available.
 
So it might be “that he was a Chechen national who had served in the Russian military and fought in Ukraine".
If so, how was he in our country legally?
At least two reports that I Googled indicated he entered the country illegally from the Southern border. I don't know if those reports are accurate. Also, apparently, many illegal border crossers are reclassified as semi-legal awaiting adjudication, so while many would call them illegal (including me), I'm not sure what the Government calls them. I do think if he was legal, he should have had a passport or green card and not just an international driver's license.
Any Russian with bad intent would likely have a cover story. This utility sub-contractor may be legit, but it has all the appearances of a setup company.
I have no idea how many U.S Spec Ops personnel are in Ukraine, but if it's like every other conflict the U.S. has has an interest in since the early '60s, it's a lot. We will never know the extent. Not too many less than zebras in Africa as you noted.
 
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