Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fisher.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!david From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) Newsgroups: net.legal,net.politics Subject: Re: NYC subway "hero" Message-ID: <491@fisher.UUCP> Date: Sat, 19-Jan-85 10:40:46 EST Article-I.D.: fisher.491 Posted: Sat Jan 19 10:40:46 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 05:43:49 EST References: <776@reed.UUCP> <709@hou2h.UUCP> <912@amdahl.UUCP> <305@desint.UUCP> <170@cadre.ARPA> Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics Lines: 37 Xref: watmath net.legal:1330 net.politics:6979 I've been rather concerned at the haste of many to beatify Goetz without knowing what the man actually did. Some interesting facts that are now coming out: (1) Goetz, in his videotaped confession to Concord, NH police, never claimed that the famous screwdrivers (tools for breaking into video game coinboxes) were brandished. Instead, he said the four apporoached him for $5, and the "gleam" in the eye of one of the delinquents led him to believe they were having fun. He concluded that that fun was to beat him senseless. So far, so good. (2) After he produced the gun, the "gleam" turned into a look "fear". Natural enough. (3) As the delinquents attempted flight, Goetz gunned them down (two were shot in the back). He claimed that the reason he stopped shooting was that he ran out of bullets. He admitted he shot one of his harrassers a second time, when the first bullet left him wounded but standing. (4) Some of his bullets of the dum-dum variety, indicating that the infliction of pain was as much on his mind as self-defense. (5) He expressed regret at not having been carrying his car keys at the time, as he would have gouged out the eyes of his victims as they lay on the subway floor. I conclude Goetz was a homicidal maniac, and I'd rather be on a subway car with the delinquents than with him. Compare Goetz's case with that of the anonymous Chicago man who, when confronted with an actual threat to his life (two hoodlums armed with knives), shot one and permitted the other to flee. Maybe that man was a hero, but Goetz is a nut. David Rubin