UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBS 2) — He was arrested for protecting his property and family.

But it’s how the Long Island man did it that police say crossed the line.

He got an AK-47 assault rifle, pulled the trigger and he ended up in jail, reports CBS 2’s Pablo Guzman.

George Grier said he had to use his rifle on Sunday night to stop what he thought was going to be an invasion of his Uniondale home by a gang he thought might have been the vicious “MS-13.” He said the whole deal happened as he was about to drive his cousin home.

“I went around and went into the house, ran upstairs and told my wife to call the police. I get the gun and I go outside and I come into the doorway and now, by this time, they are in the driveway, back here near the house. I tell them, you know, ‘Can you please leave?’ Grier said.

Grier said the five men dared him to use the gun; and that their shouts brought another larger group of gang members in front of his house.

“He starts threatening my family, my life. ‘Oh you’re dead. I’m gonna kill your family and your babies. You’re dead.’ So when he says that, 20 others guys come rushing around the corner. And so I fired four warning shots into the grass,” Grier said.


Grier was later arrested. John Lewis is Grier’s attorney.

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,” Lewis said.

Grier said he knew Nassau County Police employ the hi-tech “ShotSpotter” technology in his area and that the shooting would bring police in minutes. Cops told Guzman he was very cooperative.

Grier also said he was afraid the gang outside his house was the dreaded MS-13. And Nassau County Police Lt. Andrew Mulraine, head of the gang unit, said MS-13 has 2,000 members in the county.

“They’re probably the most organized. They almost have a military hierarchy within the gang, so they are the most organized gang we encounter on a daily basis,” Mulraine said.

You may think a person has the right to defend their home. But the law says you can only use physical force to deter physical force. Grier said he never saw anyone pull out a gun, so a court would have to decide on firing the gun.

Police determined Grier had the gun legally. He has no criminal record. And so he was not charged for the weapon.

That ShotSpotter technology pinpoints where a gun has been fired within 35 feet. Police said it also detected two other shootings in nearby Roosevelt that night.

SlaveToDorkness wrote:But were they wearing hoodies?

unmercifulconker wrote:Innocent man arrested for protecting his property and family?

Woohoo, way to go justice! This person was clearly in the wrong, who does he think he is to protect his loved ones from evil.

George Grier said he had to use his rifle on Sunday night to stop what he thought was going to be an invasion of his Uniondale home by a gang he thought might have been the vicious “MS-13.” He said the whole deal happened as he was about to drive his cousin home.

“I went around and went into the house, ran upstairs and told my wife to call the police. I get the gun and I go outside and I come into the doorway and now, by this time, they are in the driveway, back here near the house. I tell them, you know, ‘Can you please leave?’ Grier said.

I get the gun and I go outside and I come into the doorway and now, by this time, they are in the driveway, back here near the house.

Grier said the five men dared him to use the gun; and that their shouts brought another larger group of gang members in front of his house.

“He starts threatening my family, my life. ‘Oh you’re dead. I’m gonna kill your family and your babies. You’re dead.’ So when he says that, 20 others guys come rushing around the corner. And so I fired four warning shots into the grass,” Grier said.

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,” Lewis said.

But the law says you can only use physical force to deter physical force. Grier said he never saw anyone pull out a gun, so a court would have to decide on firing the gun.

a journalist wrote:You may think a person has the right to defend their home. But the law says you can only use physical force to deter physical force.

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,”

Melissia wrote:

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,”

I think that's a fairly good argument myself.

Kanluwen wrote:

Melissia wrote:

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,”

I think that's a fairly good argument myself.

It really is not though.

While he was not indicted for it, it certainly is behaving with a "depraved indifference to human life" firing a weapon in the direction of people in a residential area. It certainly is creating a risk as well pulling out a gun and then opening fire in said residential area, especially when it's not necessarily the case that the people "advancing on his house" were going to break in, etc.

d-usa wrote:I am 100% pro self-defense, I am 100% for concealed carry, but I also think that your gun only leaves your holster for one single purpose. To neutralize a thread. It doesn't come out to scare people. It doesn't come out to fire warning shots. It only comes out because something is about to go down, and if you don't kill them before they kill you.

purplefood wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:

Melissia wrote:

“What he’s initially charged with – A D felony reckless endangerment — requires a depraved indifference to human life, creating a risk that someone’s going to die. Shooting into a lawn doesn’t create a risk of anybody dying,”

I think that's a fairly good argument myself.

It really is not though.

While he was not indicted for it, it certainly is behaving with a "depraved indifference to human life" firing a weapon in the direction of people in a residential area. It certainly is creating a risk as well pulling out a gun and then opening fire in said residential area, especially when it's not necessarily the case that the people "advancing on his house" were going to break in, etc.

I'd argue that it was the fact he wasn't indifferent to human life which made him open fire.
It's not like he saw some people on his lawn and started firing.

People threatened him, his wife and his child then he fired warning shots rather than directly firing at them (Which frankly wouldn't have been a difficult task considering where they stood)

Jumpin Jesus wrote:This is ridiculous? What was supposed to do when those people attacked him? Twenty people and you can only respond with pyshical force? I thought we had a right to defend ourselves.

I just really hope this guy dosent get put in jail for this...

purplefood wrote:

Jumpin Jesus wrote:This is ridiculous? What was supposed to do when those people attacked him? Twenty people and you can only respond with pyshical force? I thought we had a right to defend ourselves.

I just really hope this guy dosent get put in jail for this...

Read the thread dude.
The article is a year old and he hasn't been convicted of it...