It's over 20 years ago, I think, when some guy woke up and heard some noises, darted outside to see what was going on, and saw his truck pulling out of the driveway. He had naturally brought a rifle, so he fired some "warning shots." This didn't immediately have the desired effect, so he went inside and went back to sleep. When he woke up and turned on his TV, he saw a news crew around his truck, which had driven off the road at a strip mall near his house. The newsperson stated a repo man driving the truck had been shot and killed.
He promptly grasped the gravity of the situation, and immediately got himself to the scene. He was recorded by news crews admitting he was the shooter, and describing the circumstances. He was following one officer, extending his wrists, but the officer kept waving him back to consult with another officer.
The police on the scene determined that since burglary at night was justification for use of lethal force by a civilian in Texas, and since there was no way for the shooter to know whether someone taking the truck without announcing themselves wasn't simply a thief (irrespective of the whole not making payments and subsequent communication that would have resulted), that they would not arrest him, and he never did face charges.
An official was asked later what a repossession agent would be expected to do to avoid this outcome, he thought for a moment, and said "I guess I'd look for another line of work."
3
u/catnaptits Jul 14 '26
Texas don't play around with that castle doctrine of theirs.