Joe Horn shooting controversy

The Joe Horn shooting controversy refers to the events of November 14, 2007, in Pasadena, Texas, United States when local resident Joe Horn shot and killed two men burglarizing his neighbor's home. Publicized recordings of Horn's exchange with emergency dispatch indicate that he was asked repeatedly not to interfere with the burglary, because the police would soon be on hand..cite news
last = Blumenthal
first = Ralph
title = Shootings Test Limits of New Self-Defense Law
work = The New York Times
pages =
date=2007-12-13
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/us/13texas.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
accessdate = 2007-12-26 ] The shootings have resulted in debate regarding self-defense, Castle Doctrine laws, and Texas laws relating to use of (deadly) force to prevent or stop property crimes. The illegal alien status of the burglars has been highlighted because of the U.S. border controversy.cite episode
title = The Deaths of Two Illegal Aliens Near Houston
url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315477,00.html
series = The O'Reilly Factor - Talking Points
serieslink =
airdate = 2007-12-06
season =
number = ] On June 30, 2008, Joe Horn was cleared by a grand jury in the Pasadena shootings.

Joe Horn, 61, spotted two burglars breaking into his next-door Vietnamese-American neighbor's home in Pasadena, Texas. He called 911 to call police to the scene. While on the phone with emergency dispatch, Horn stated that he had the right to use deadly force to defend property, referencing a law (Texas Penal Code § 9.41., § 9.42., and § 9.43.) which justified the use of deadly force to protect property. He stated that he was going to go outside and confront the burglars. As the burglars were exiting his neighbor's home, and approaching Horn's home, Horn exited his home with his shotgun, while the 911 Operator tried to dissuade him from that action. On the 911 tape, he is heard confronting the suspects, saying, "Move, and you're dead",cite news
last = Horswell
first = Cindy
title = Pasadena police present DA with report on Horn
work = Houston Chronicle
pages =
date= 2007-12-18
url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4479736
accessdate = 2008-03-22 ] immediately followed by the sound of a shotgun blast, followed by two more.cite news
last = Crowe
first = Robert
coauthors = Stewart, Richard
title = 911 tape traces deadly shootings by Pasadena man
work = Houston Chronicle
pages =
date= 2007-11-16
url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/side/5306638.html
accessdate = 2007-12-26 ] Following the shootings Mr. Horn told the 911 operator, "They came in the front yard with me, man, I had no choice!" [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/17/national/main3517564.shtml?source=mostpop_story Man Kills Suspects While On Phone With 911] ]

Police initially identified the dead men in Horn's yard as 38-year-old Miguel Antonio DeJesus and Diego Ortiz, 30, both of Houston of Afro Latino descent. However, DeJesus was actually an alias of Hernando Riascos Torres, 38. They were carrying a sack with more than $2,000 cash and jewelry taken from the home. Both were convicted criminals from Colombia who had entered the country illegally, and were members of an organized burglary ring in Houston. Police found a Puerto Rican identification card on Ortiz while Torres had three identification cards from Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, and had been previously sent to prison for dealing cocaine and was deported in 1999. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5864151.html Joe Horn cleared by grand jury in Pasadena shootings] ]

A plain clothes police detective responding to the 911 call had arrived at the scene before the shooting and witnessed the escalation and shootings, while remaining in his car. His report on the incident indicated that the men who were killed "received gunfire from the rear". Police Capt. A.H. Corbett stated the two men ignored Mr. Horn's order to freeze and one of the suspects ran towards Joe Horn before he angled away from him toward the street when he was shot in the back. Pasadena police confirmed that the two men were shot after they ventured into his front yard. The detective did not arrest Horn.

The incident touched off protests, led by community activist Quanell X, that were met by counter-protests from Horn's supporters. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHfs04-AQg0 Video of event on Youtube with Quanell X's comments] ] [ [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2030703163732885998&hl=en Quanell X Chased Away by Joe Horn Supporters in Pasadena ] ] cite news
title = Pasadena Protest Over Slain Burglars Heats Up
author = Associated Press
work = Houston Chronicle
date=2007-12-03
url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4471491 ] [ [http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=5809394 KTRK.com's video] ]

Joe Horn

Joe Horn is a native Houstonian who took an early retirement from AT&T in 1998. Later that year he moved in with his daughter, Rhonda, and her husband in Kentucky to help raise his grandchildren who call him "Papa Joe."After his daughter was widowed in 1998 the remainder of the family moved to Houston and Horn went back to work so his daughter could take care of the children. When Rhonda re-married, she and her husband purchased a home and asked Mr. Horn to move in. In 2003 he accepted and moved in once more.

An only child, Horn graduated from Sam Houston High School in 1964. He went to work as a 7-Eleven store clerk immediately after high school. Two years afterwards, he started work in the communications industry, eventually working his way up to a computer program manager for AT&T before retiring in 2003.

He was proficient in guns because of hunting, which he lost interest in years before the shooting. [cite news
last = Horswell
first = Cindy
coauthors = Rendon, Ruth
title = The man behind the gun
work = Houston Chronicle
pages =
date=2007-12-17
url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4478867
accessdate = 2007-12-26 ]

Death threat

What can be construed as a death threat was made anonymously to the District Attorney in which the following was said:“You better indict Joe Horn, and you better find him guilty. Because if you don’t, somebody is gonna kill him on the outside, and if he go to prison he gonna be killed on the inside … We waiting on him in prison, and we waiting on him on the outside.” [cite web
last = Russell
first = Rucks
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Horn Death Threat Caught on Tape
work = khou.com
publisher =
date = 2007-12-10
url = http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou071210_tnt_joehorndeaththreat.302e7df.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-26 ] [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5366665.html DA's office: Caller threatened Joe Horn's life] ]

Grand jury

On June 30, 2008 a Harris County grand jury cleared Mr. Horn by issuing a no-bill after two weeks of testimony. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5864151.html Joe Horn cleared by grand jury in Pasadena shootings] ]

Reaction to no bill

Quanell X said he is meeting with civil attorneys to discuss the next legal move. He said he planned to lobby lawmakers to change the Castle Doctrine, which he believes is racially motivated. He went on to say, "This was a wild and out-of-control Western-thinking, gun-toting man who saw the opportunity to be judge, jury and executioner, and Harris County let him get away with it. But we’re not going to let him get away with it." [ [http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080701_tnt_hornfolo.13264f98.html Quanell X: Grand jury system is 'broken,' unfair to minorities] ]

National reactions

The Glenn Beck Program has conditionally taken up Horn's defense, but allowed that "property isn't worth killing over." [ [http://www.premiereinteractive.com/cgi-bin/members.cgi?stream=2007-12-10&site=glennbeck&type=download_show&clips=2 Discussion on the Glenn Beck Program.] ]

External links

* [http://www.click2houston.com/news/16784608/detail.html Video: Horn Re-Enacts Shooting For Police (Nov 14, 2007)]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLtKCC7z0yc Audio: The 911 Call]

References