Joe Horn shooting controversy

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The Joe Horn shooting controversy refers to the events of November 14, 2007, in Pasadena, Texas, United States. Local resident Joe Horn has been accused of shooting and killing 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.^[1] The shootings have resulted in debate regarding self-defense and Texas state gun control laws. The illegal alien status of the burglars has been highlighted because of the U.S. border controversy.^[2]

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 Texas Penal Code § 9.41., § 9.42., and § 9.43. which justify 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",^[3] immediately followed by the sound of a shotgun blast, followed by two more.^[4] Following the shootings Mr. Horn told the 911 operator, "They came in the front yard with me, man, I had no choice!" ^[5]

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.^[3] 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.^[1] Police found a Puerto Rican identification card on Ortiz while Torres had three identification cards from Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

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.^[3] His report on the incident indicated that the men who were killed "received gunfire from the rear".^[1] 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.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

1 Joe Horn
2 Death Threats
3 Reactions
4 References

[edit] 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. ^[10]

[edit] Death Threats

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.”^[11]^[12]

[edit] Reactions

The call for Horn's actions being called racist by Quanell X and wanting him to serve jail time on what is, at this time, considered a "Legal Shoot" has gained a foothold in national conservative talk shows. The Glenn Beck Program has conditionally taken up Horn's defense, but allowed that "property isn't worth killing over."^[13]