Man Videotapes Himself Shooting Neighor, Claims Self Defense *Updated*

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**Ahtman**

The title is a little misleading due to the truncated nature, but it is hard to get all of this one in on one line. The article shows the video. You don't see anyone shot, as he lowers the camera before he starts shooting.

Article

A Houston man on trial for fatally shooting his neighbor says he was acting in self defense and his home video can prove it.

Raul Rodriguez, a former firefighter, was recording his argument with neighbors, when he shot and killed Kelly Danaher, an elementary school teacher, and wounded two other people in May 2010. The 22-minute homemade video is the key to the trial, but what's on the video might be in the eye of the beholder.

"This is a difficult defense to mount," says Dana Cole, legal analyst and defense attorney. "He had no injury, he brought a gun to a noise complaint, and it appeared he was escalating it, by baiting the party-goers."

It was after midnight when Rodriguez, complaining to police over the phone that the music was too loud, walked up to Danaher's driveway with a flashlight and gun.

On the video, Rodriguez can be heard talking to a 911 operator, saying, "I'm running the video camera right now and I'm talking to you and I mean, I'm scared to death here."

In the unfolding confrontation between Rodriguez and several unidentified men, one yells, "Tell you what, pal, you just pulled a gun on the wrong [expletive], OK?"

When one of the party-goers saw Rodriguez's gun, he suggested he is getting his own. "When I go in that house and come back," he warned, "don't think I won't be equal to you, baby."

"It's about to get out of hand sir, please help me. Please help me, my life is in danger now…," Rodriguez told police over the phone. "Now, I'm standing my ground here. Now, these people are going to try and kill me."

Seconds later, a fight about loud music ends with the crack of gunfire.

"Look, I'm not losing to these people anymore," Rodriguez said. "I'm just totally going to stay back, because they're drunk, they're…"

Rodriguez is interrupted by wild laughter, and then the sound of gunfire, before the tape stops as Rodriguez is tackled to the ground. In addition to the shot that killed Danaher, Houston Fire Capt. Ricky Johnson and Marshall Stetson received multiple gunshot wounds after the camera stopped recording. Rodriguez, a father of six, walked away from the incident unharmed.

The trial is expected to last about a week.

**dogma**

"I'm running the video camera right now and I'm talking to you and I mean, I'm scared to death here."

If you have to tell us you're scared, then you aren't.

**purplefood**

IMO it's manslaughter...

**dogma**

No, murder. Stupid murder, which is the worst kind of murder.

**daedalus**

I find it curious that a former firefighter was antagonizing a party that a Fire Captain happened to be at.

I find it more curious that rather than just call the cops, he felt the need to be an ass in person.

I find it MOST curious that he did so armed, though this is Texas, so for all I know, it's common practice to take your six-shooters out to get the mail.

**MrDwhitey**

I'm personally thinking 2nd degree murder at least.

Just saw this, http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Subject-in-Huffman-shootings-always-judging-1698753.php

Pretty manipulative though.

**Hazardous Harry**

This is definitely murder, and a terrible attempt to fabricate grounds of self-defence. If anything the video will condemn him rather than help his case.

Oh and good riddance to bad rubbish etc.

**LordofHats**

Most well execute crime 2012. He wins a hat!

**Kovnik Obama**

If this wasn't so sad, this would actually be hilarious...

Just from the text of it, it's certainly murder, but I haven't watched it, this stuff, even truncated, has a tendency to affect me too much.

**dogma**

Kovnik Obama wrote:If this wasn't so sad, this would actually be hilarious...

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

**Kovnik Obama**

dogma wrote:
Kovnik Obama wrote:If this wasn't so sad, this would actually be hilarious...

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

Hey that's pretty well said, I like!

**Slarg232**

Murder. You don't go walking around with a gun and expect something to not happen.....

**KingCracker**

Yea, Im sorry but this guy was as wrong as one can get. Worse part is, this is the kind of gak that makes anti gun types use as ammo for their cause. Thanks jerk off that didnt like his neighbor and wanted to be confrontational with a firearm. I feel sorry for the victims and their families, what a stupid reason to die

**Ma55ter_fett**

KingCracker wrote:Yea, Im sorry but this guy was as wrong as one can get. Worse part is, this is the kind of gak that makes anti gun types use as ammo for their cause. Thanks jerk off that didnt like his neighbor and wanted to be confrontational with a firearm. I feel sorry for the victims and their families, what a stupid reason to die

Guns would be so safe if we could remove the human element.

**dogma**

Kovnik Obama wrote:
dogma wrote:
Kovnik Obama wrote:If this wasn't so sad, this would actually be hilarious...

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

Hey that's pretty well said, I like!

Like George Bernard Shaw.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:
"I'm running the video camera right now and I'm talking to you and I mean, I'm scared to death here."

If you have to tell us you're scared, then you aren't.

That was a grossly illogical comment. You can be scared and open about it To some its a way of gaining courage by seeking affirmation that others are scared too..

Ask a combat veteran if they were scared, they will almost always say yes. Ask if they could see fear in their comrades or hear they confessed fear and a lot of the time you will also have this confirmed. Yes, some people think it best to refuse to admit fear, amongst most soldiers and armed police that is considered stupidity not bravery.

As for the individual case, who knows. He had a gun and option to retreat. No real reason to be scared, but who knows what was in his head. In any event it wasn't healthy or he wouldn't have escalated the situation and ended up shooting some people. He called the police for help, that was a cue to himself to back away and let them handle it. He didnt and someone died so in his case what he was saying was not really indicative of whether he was working under fear or another.

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
That was a grossly illogical comment. You can be scared and open about it To some its a way of gaining courage by seeking affirmation that others are scared too.

That's not what "logic" means.

That said, you can be scared and open, but if you grab a camera, and tell us you're scared, you probably aren't. After all, you grabbed a camera.

Orlanth wrote:
Ask a combat veteran if they were scared, they will almost always say yes.

Sure, past tense. Tenses are important, you see (present tense).

**hotsauceman1**

And people wonder why i dont like alot of gun owners. They are way too itchy to use their weapon.

**Eidolon**

Dont mess with Texas

**Kovnik Obama**

Cuz Texas is already a mess?

**sebster**

Unless there's some information that wasn't included in the article, I really can't see how his self defence can hold up.

I mean, he's on some other guy's property, if you're scared for your life you don't stay there filming it, you leave. And it makes little to no sense that his noise complaint would have so outraged these people that he had genuine fear for his life, and yet when he drew a gun on them and then shot one of them, so when they suffered actual, real provocation, all they did was tackle him to the ground and wait for police to arrive.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:
Orlanth wrote:
That was a grossly illogical comment. You can be scared and open about it To some its a way of gaining courage by seeking affirmation that others are scared too.

That's not what "logic" means.

That said, you can be scared and open, but if you grab a camera, and tell us you're scared, you probably aren't. After all, you grabbed a camera.

Under the circumstances I wonder how scared this clown was. Possibly he was scared and took the camera as 'evidence' that he meant no harm. I don't think it proves he was or was not scared, it does I think prove he wasn't thinking things through clearly.
However your comment could only be read as an attempt at a universal truism. Which should be debunked as there is a weight of testimonial evidence against it.

While I shouldn't really use fictional examples, but I can remember several on site admissions of fear by military or paramilitary leaders from the media. Including some in Medieval total War 2 and Three Kings. As admitted these are not a real examples, only ones easily found in the media. But could someone lead troops like that, or face danger like that? I think so, in fact I know so having closely known people who have faced combat. Its not fatal for morale for an officer to show fear in front of his men, its only bad if he lets the fear take hold of him, not doing so is what courage is. In fact admitting one is scared is being honest, feigning fearlessness may not be as effective as saying, yes I am frightened, but I will fight anway'. Can one of the veterans confirm or critique this please.
Anyway leaving military situations aside, as this isnt, it's definitely not possible to say that an admission of fear cannot be said by someone who is actually scared at the time.

Orlanth wrote:
Ask a combat veteran if they were scared, they will almost always say yes.

Sure, past tense. Tenses are important, you see (present tense).

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
However your comment could only be read as an attempt at a universal truism.

No, you're trying to catch me out, I get that, but I'm really good at this game.

One might infer that I was commenting on the subject, which related to law, and that "us" is "the law".

Orlanth wrote:
Past tense refering to the then-present tense. English is a versatile language, and it can get quite complicated, I hope thats wasn't too confusing

Still past tense. Ask a dude on the internet if he would kill such and such...

**SagesStone**

Premeditated dumbassery...

**AustonT**

Thank God this brave retired fire fighter has decided to fall on his sword to prove that SYG isn't a license to kill. Maybe that will comfort him and quiet the left while he's serving his time for murder. In the meantime enjoy bathing in the blood of the innocent to prove some sort of ideological point.

**Ahtman**

AustonT wrote:Thank God this brave retired fire fighter has decided to fall on his sword to prove that SYG isn't a license to kill.

Does Texas have a SYG law similar to Florida?

**dogma**

AustonT wrote:In the meantime enjoy bathing in the blood of the innocent to prove some sort of ideological point.

Not something an (ex)mil wants to say.

**AustonT**

Ahtman wrote:
AustonT wrote:Thank God this brave retired fire fighter has decided to fall on his sword to prove that SYG isn't a license to kill.

Does Texas have a SYG law similar to Florida?

It doesn't include the words "Stand Your Ground" but the premise of the law is the same.

dogma wrote:
AustonT wrote:In the meantime enjoy bathing in the blood of the innocent to prove some sort of ideological point.

Not something an (ex)mil wants to say.

Why whatever do you mean?

**sebster**

AustonT wrote:Thank God this brave retired fire fighter has decided to fall on his sword to prove that SYG isn't a license to kill. Maybe that will comfort him and quiet the left while he's serving his time for murder. In the meantime enjoy bathing in the blood of the innocent to prove some sort of ideological point.

What in the world are you going on about? Stories about crimes and trials get posted on this site, because talking about crimes and trials is something human beings do.

Sometimes one or more people use the trial to make a political point, but not in this case. In fact, until you mentioned SYG it wasn't mentioned at all.

So unless you're going to stand there hand on your heart and tell us all that you think any commentary on any court case is bathing in the blood of the innocent, then I reckon you might need to have a serious think about how you interpreted this thread.

**dogma**

AustonT wrote:
Why whatever do you mean?

The Mil-V12 killed so many.