Downtown Seattle - 25 yo convicted arsonist shot by victim he attacked

[keopeli]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003297197_shooting10m.html

A 25-year-old man who was fatally shot while attacking a stranger Saturday at Westlake Plaza had previously served time in prison for setting fire to a day-care center his mother operated out of her Phinney Ridge home.

...witnesses told police, a man in his 20s apparently attacked the 52-year-old man, punching and kicking him until he fell to the sidewalk. The older man pulled out a .357-caliber Ruger revolver and fired one round, striking the man in the abdomen.

The older man "was not winning the fight" — the other man "just starts attacking him, he's on the ground and a shot is fired," Brown said, describing witnesses' accounts.

The 52-year-old had a concealed-weapons license and was in legal possession of the handgun, Brown said. Police have not released the man's name because he was not booked into jail.

[cornermouse]

1. Several problems with this article.

...Seattle police continue to investigate Saturday's shooting, and their findings will be turned over the prosecutor's office to decide whether charges are warranted. While police would not speculate on whether the shooting of Culotti was self-defense — saying the term is a legal finding that will be determined by prosecutors — the account offered by a police spokeswoman supports that possibility.

"...This 52-year-old fellow was minding his own business, going through Westlake and this other guy jumps him, whacks him pretty good, gets him down on the ground and starts kicking him," said Dave Workman, author and senior editor for Gun Week, a national publication that reports on gun laws, regulatory changes and news from the firearms industry..."

Questions. Why are they quoting this guy? Was he there? If not, then why is he even mentioned?
I don't see anything about the disturbed person having a weapon.

..."He explained that from a legal standpoint, prosecutors must disprove a claim of self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt for a jury to convict someone in such a case."...

This bothers me. It bothers me because it opens itself for a lot of potential abuse. Take some pals along to be witnesses and what could you not get away with?

[RobertSeattle]

2. I think their were plenty of witnesses - this was a busy downtown area

[keopeli]

3. "A textbook case of self-defense"

Like it or hate it, this is our gun law. The 52 yo man was carrying a legally owned and registered concealed weapon. The location of this event, which is one block from where I live, was populated at the time of this crime. The 3 witnesses that gave testimony were just the ones the police interviewed.

A couple of years ago we had a man downtown who wielded a samurai sword, holding police at bay for hours before they doused him with a firehose.

I'm constantly amazed by the reality around me.

Peace.

[acmejack]

6. Peace?

You kid, right?

[Maine-ah]

4. good thing he had a gun

the other guy had enough time to beat him to the ground, and in a so-called busy down town area, and yet no body bothered to help him. Sounds like a great place to live.

[autorank]

5. This is "The Armed Citizen" material... n/t

[theHandpuppet]

7. Looks to me like the system failed

Two questions:

1) Why a sentence of only two years for setting fire to a day care center, especially when there were adults and children inside?

2) What was this violent offender doing out on the streets even after repeated violations of the conditions of his release?

A 25-year-old man who was fatally shot while attacking a stranger Saturday at Westlake Plaza had previously served time in prison for setting fire to a day-care center his mother operated out of her Phinney Ridge home...

...In July 2001, Culotti had attacked his mother, Melinda Culotti, inside the family's former residence on Palatine Avenue North near Woodland Park Zoo. He later returned and doused the floors inside the house with gasoline, setting the house on fire.

Culotti's mother, several child-care providers and seven children escaped unharmed.

Culotti later pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and was sentenced to just under two years in prison.

Though it is unclear when Culotti was released from custody, he was arrested three times this year for violating the conditions of his release into the community, jail records show.

[sendero]

8. I can't wait..

... for the ant-gun folks to start their bullshit.

Fact is, this guy might have been beaten to death but he wasn't. Guns never really work in self-defense situations? Yeah, right. One darwin-award punk just found out otherwise.