My son only tried to rob you and you took his life. That was excessive force, Petta. You have to pay for what you did. Shut up. Your son played adult games and now he’s winning adult prizes. An 87 year old man shot three masked intruders who broke into his home but was later sued by the robber’s parents for $1 million. The incident happened around 4am in Rockdale County, Georgia. The three masked two teenagers planned to rob the home of Paul Schmidt, an elderly man who lived alone. While they were rummaging through the living room, the old man discovered them. The teens attacked him, punching and kicking him, and Paul was forced to fight back.
He pulled the trigger, hitting one of them in the stomach. The other two panicked, dropped their weapons and ran away. Neighbors who heard the gunshots called 911. When police and paramedics arrived, the injured suspect had already stopped breathing. Two who fled were caught soon after. Police later confirmed the three were carrying BB guns. The teenager’s parents accused Paul of using excessive force and filed a $1 million lawsuit against him. They were holding fake guns. They never hurt you and yet you killed him. All three of them attacked my client. If they’d had real guns, my client wouldn’t be standing here today. He was so young, just a kid.
His life had barely started. And you ended it. Shut up. You know what? Your son played adult games and now he’s winning adult prizes. Paul’s attorney argued, even if the robber used a fake gun, my client had no way of knowing that. Therefore, it should be considered armed robbery. This should still be considered armed robbery. Under Georgia’s self defense laws and the stand your ground statute. The homeowner’s actions were deemed completely lawful and not an excessive use of force. The judge ultimately ruled, I hereby declare Mr. Schmidt not guilty. You bear no criminal or financial liability. Then the judge turned to the robber’s mother and said, I hereby order you to pay Mr. Schmidt $50,000 in medical expenses and issue a public apology to him. Do you think the judge’s ruling was fair? Share your thoughts in the comments.
