Man fatally shoots another over a drone

[MS Coast]

Yeah the way the news reports it, sounds really bad for the shooter. Whether those events happened exactly that way or not, he shouldn't have said it aloud to the police.

Sounds bad for the shooter? Really? How do you think it sounds for the dead man with six bullet wounds?

It also sounds bad for the newly widowed mother of five kids who lost their father. My sympathies and concern are with them, not for the guy who is "screwed because he talks too much" to the police.

There's a Go Fund Me page set up if anyone wants to help the lady bury her husband.

Royer peña and his family, organized by Carlos Pena

hello Everyone ! First of all thank you for your support not just financially but emotional … Carlos Pena needs your support for Royer peña and his family

gofund.me

 

[mavic3usa]

Sounds bad for the shooter? Really? How do you think it sounds for the dead man with six bullet wounds?

It also sounds bad for the newly widowed mother of five kids who lost their father. My sympathies and concern is with them, not for the guy who is "screwed because he talks too much" to the police.

There's a Go Fund Me page set up if anyone wants to help the lady bury her husband.

Royer peña and his family, organized by Carlos Pena

hello Everyone ! First of all thank you for your support not just financially but emotional … Carlos Pena needs your support for Royer peña and his family

gofund.me

Condolences to the family. Thanks for the link.

 

[solidhouse]

I wonder what kind of drone this was which was so important to the shooter?

 

[MS Coast]

I wonder what kind of drone this was which was so important to the shooter?

Is there any drone so valuable that it's justifiable to murder someone for picking up the wreckage after you fly it into a tree?

This isn't about a drone. It's about a sick person with a weapon, poor self control, and no common sense.

 

[Starz]

a sick person

And taxpayers dollars will feed the perp for a longer duration of time than I care to think about. Eye for an eye comes to mind.

 

[JohnnyD913]

The dude had a handgun with a taclight.
This guy was a ticking time bomb!!
He was PREPARED for this moment!!
He instigated the whole thing by antagonizing
People which might be argued as pre meditation..

 

[Bill Lorenz]

Thanks for posting. Some hilarious comments!

 

[KB9Radio]

Exactly. He shot the man 6 times, autopsy shows each shot would have been fatal. Because he didn't want to lose his expensive toy that he was harassing neighbors with. This has a lot do entitlement and a lack of coping skills, the drone was just the catalyst.

I agree the guy is a piece of garbage, if the has your drone (crashed or not) and won't return it, call the PD. I don't think it would be very hard to determine the owner, especially if it has your ID on it and your holding the controller. I'm sure there's lots of details we don't know. But the harassing thing, who knows. I've seen and heard so many people claim someone is harassing or spying on them, just because they heard a drone in the area. I can't figure out how so many folks think everyone is spying on them, like they think they're that interesting apparently. By the way, the article that the link goes to never said anything about harassing anyone. It said the guy fled down the street with the drone. That in no way justifies anything, but what was he thinking.

 

[Dlinzy]

I'm not supporting the shooter, but it does sound like stealing and the Law doesn't place a value of an item, drone, shovel or lawn mower only theft is theft. I can't think of anything worth killing someone over, but the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

 

[Starz]

the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

Can you provide a link to whatever law in Utah that would allow this scenario?

 

[rfaass]

He is screwed? I think the wife and kids are screwed, growing up with no father because of this idiot...

 

[AlaninAZ]

I was thinking about how this is all relevant to our forum. In general, I think some of us worry that we will be harassed when we are flying our drones in a professional manner. One of my drone pilot friends told me in 3 years he has had a gun pulled on him 3 times and was only able to press charges once. There is a great misconception that drone pilots are spying and invading peoples privacy. As professional drone pilots I think it should be our goal to be an ambassador demonstrating how drones are amazing tools, lifesavers, etc and that we are not spying or invading the privacy of anyone. There are a few bad apples or maybe more than a few, that make it more difficult for all of us. I don’t know for sure in this case, but I would question the mental stability of the person who killed someone over a drone dispute. Some people are certainly not mentally stable enough to know when and when not to use a firearm.

 

[solidhouse]

I'm not supporting the shooter, but it does sound like stealing and the Law doesn't place a value of an item, drone, shovel or lawn mower only theft is theft. I can't think of anything worth killing someone over, but the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

I think it depends. If someone is trying to carjack you, you could probably make a good case for shooting them. However, if they are running down the road with your weed eater in hand, I don’t believe that you can chase them down with a gun and shoot them.

 

[rjwmorrell]

I'm not supporting the shooter, but it does sound like stealing and the Law doesn't place a value of an item, drone, shovel or lawn mower only theft is theft. I can't think of anything worth killing someone over, but the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

Ummm, there's not too many jurisdictions in the world where simply not returning an item to someone amounts to a sufficient provocation to kill them. Somehow I don't see it here.

 

[rjwmorrell]

Can you provide a link to whatever law in Utah that would allow this scenario?

Doubtful such a Law exists. What's scarier is this is the sort of misapprehension of laws that leads some people to genuinely think they can shoot through their front door if someone knocks on it unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Because it's happened.

 

[MARK (LI)]

I picture the guy who is now dead picking up a drone that he came across on the ground, as a result of apparently being flown BVLOS, picking it up and while figuring out what it is, catches a guy out of the corner of his eye approaching him with a gun aimed at him ( as described by the shooter himself) , at which point he runs. No mention that the shooter even suggests that the drone is his.
I don't think the shooter is screwed...that implies that he is in trouble for doing nothing wrong......he will be paying the price for being ridiculously stupid and cruel

 

[mobilehomer]

Regardless of any prior interaction between the two. Since there was no threat , according to the shooter, this is a simple case of murder in the first. I hope the murderer reaps what he sowed.

 

[MS Coast]

I'm not supporting the shooter, but it does sound like stealing and the Law doesn't place a value of an item, drone, shovel or lawn mower only theft is theft. I can't think of anything worth killing someone over, but the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

That is totally absurd. Mr. Powell will most definitely not get away with killing Mr. Peña.

Laws regarding theft do consider the value of the stolen property. In Utah, theft of property worth more than $500 and less that $1500 is a Class A misdemeanor. Above $1500, it's a felony, with the class differing with the value of the property. There are other provisions for repeat offenders and such.

Here's a reference if you want to see the actual laws, in black and white.

Utah Code Section 76-6-404

le.utah.gov

Considering that Mr. Powell had just flown his drone into a tree, it's value may have well been less than $500. But the facts of what happened are not known, and there's no reason to think that a theft occurred or that the shooting was somehow justified.

 

[anotherlab]

I'm not supporting the shooter, but it does sound like stealing and the Law doesn't place a value of an item, drone, shovel or lawn mower only theft is theft. I can't think of anything worth killing someone over, but the Law is black n white and the shooter will likely get away with it.

You may want to read up on the laws in Utah. While Utah has a version of the "stand your ground" type of law, they are very detailed on what would be considered justified for the use of deadly force. IANAL, but this situation doesn't fit it. It's easy to find online, or just go to Utah Code Section 76-2-407.

Also, 'theft is theft" is not a legal standard. You will find that the value of the property or the amount of damage caused will determine the level of the violation and the penalties involved.

One fact that is not in dispute, the killer went to the victim with a weapon in his hand.

He was not the defender but was the attacker. He is not going to get away with this. In the worst possible scenario where is not convicted or murder or manslaughter, he will be sued by the victim's wife. The burden of proof in a civil case is much less in a civil case than in a criminal case.

 

[Starz]

Doubtful such a Law exists.

That was the thought I had.
But I’m always up for education.