Long Beach, California – Tom Greer, age 80, arrived home Tuesday only to surprise a male and female trashing his house in the pursuit of cash. They found it inside a safe and began to take it. When he confronted them, the male thief ran him to the ground badly injuring his collar bone. Despite the injury, Greer got a hold of his .22 caliber handgun and confronted the couple at which time they took to flight.
He pursued them down an alley. The man was able to dart away, but the woman struggled to run because she was pregnant. Despite her pleas that he spare her because of her pregnancy, he fired on her striking her twice in the back and killing her.
When interviewed by the media, Mr. Greer expressed no remorse about taking the life of the thief regardless of her pregnancy status. He believes that taking down the woman will send a lifelong message to her male cohort. Perhaps. That said, there’s no indication the two thieves were in a relationship and the adage about there being “no honor” among thieves is well-earned.
Now, local authorities have to decide how they will react to the incident. Under California law, the two incidences are viewed separate. Had the shooting occurred on his property as the home invaders were attacking him, use of deadly force to protect himself would have been justified. However, they took to flight and the law prohibits him firing on them under those circumstances. At the same time, officers are taking into account his age. No decision has been made yet on whether to charge him for killing the woman.