'Responsible Firearm Owner' Stands Ground Against Music (And 17-Year-Old)

A Florida man who objected to loud music coming from a parked car let his rage go to eleven, so he shot and killed one of the teens sitting in the car. Did we mention that this happened in Florida? And that the shooter is a white gun nut and the victim was a black seventeen-year-old? So, yeah, this one seems likely to remain a local Jacksonville story, don't you think?

The shooting occurred last Friday after Michael Dunn, 45, stopped at a convenience store; his girlfirend went into the store to buy some wine, and Dunn found himself oppressed by the very loud stereo in the car he'd parked next to, according to the Orlando Sentinel:  

Jordan Russell Davis, 17, and several other teenagers were sitting in a sport utility vehicle in the parking lot when Dunn pulled up next to them in a car and asked them to turn down their music, [Jacksonville sheriff's Lt. Rob] Schoonover said.

Jordan and Dunn exchanged words, and Dunn pulled a gun and shot eight or nine times, striking Jordan twice, Schoonover said. Jordan was sitting in the back seat. No one else was hurt.

After the shooting, Dunn and his girlfriend drove away to a motel, and Dunn only turned himself in to police the next day, after hearing on the news that someone had died. Because really, you don't want to get all tangled up with the law after firing a bunch of shots in a public place; if he hadn't hit anyone, no need to make a fuss.

Also, get ready for this to become another fable about how a white gun-owner was merely protecting himself, so the scary black thug had to die. CNN reports that

Dunn's attorney, Robin Lemonidis, told CNN Monday that Dunn told police that he reacted after having seen a gun barrel in the window of the teens' car and after hearing a profanity-laced string of threats against him and his girlfriend while the teens motioned they were opening the door.

Lemonidis said that was when Dunn reached for his gun and opened fire on the vehicle. She added that, "When all the evidence has been flushed out, I believe that it will be extremely clear that Mr. Dunn acted as any responsible firearm owner would have under the same circumstances."

The story adds that no guns were actually found in the teens' SUV, according to a Sheriff's Office statement.

Also, Dunn's attorney had this perfectly reasonable explanation for his decision to flee the scene and not call law enforcement until the next day:

"He didn't think he had harmed anybody and he just thought he had scared them off and he wanted to report it, but he didn't want to go in a sense, throw himself to the wolves in a strange city without representation," Lemonidis said.

Because that is apparently another important part of what any responsible firearm owner would do, too.

So remember, kids: gun fondlers on the internets sincerely believe that everyone should carry a weapon so that they can take out a shooter in a dark theater with pinpoint accuracy, but in reality, they are just as likely to fire eight or nine rounds into a vehicle with several people in it, you know, just to scare them, and then be surprised that someone was actually hit.

UPDATE: Thanks to alert reader "elviouslyqueer," who points out this element of theCNN story that we had somehow missed:

Lemonidis said her client and his girlfriend left the scene after the shooting, fearing that they had encountered gang members and that more would follow.

Needless to say, it would be very, very unfair to suggest that race played any role in Mr. Dunn's actions. We feel like we should probably apologize to dead Andrew Breitbart for even having such a thought.

[ Orlando Sentinel / CNN / FirstCoastNews ]