They Did Not Deserve To Die

Three teenagers invaded a Tulsa, OK area home by breaking through a glass door. As they entered a hallway, they were met by the homeowner’s 23-year old son, Zachery Rogers. Rogers had been awakened by the commotion of the forced entry. He grabbed an AR-15 and opened fire as the intruders proceeded into a hallway.

Two of the invaders (all dressed in black and wearing gloves and masks) were found dead in the kitchen and the third dead outside in the yard. Between them they had two knives and a pair of brass knuckles.

Leroy Schumacher, the grandfather of one of the dead invaders, said that what the boys “did was stupid,” but they did “not deserve to die.” “Brass knuckles against an AR-15? Come on, who was afraid for their life?”

Mr. Schumacher needs to look at himself in a mirror. He shares the blame for the death of his grandson. He is imposing a burden on a homeowner who, he thinks, should ascertain during the very moment of an invasion what kind of weaponry the invaders have so that the fight can be fair. Does anyone think that Schumacher would submit himself to such nonsense were his home being invaded?

Happily, Oklahoma law makes it clear that you forfeit all your rights during the act of a home invasion. Mr. Schumacher’s morality is perverse, and he seems to have contributed to the criminality of his grandson. His grandson had the right to a fair fight during a home invasion, by his lights. Really?

A fourth perp was involved in this crime, the admitted intellectual author, Elizabeth Rodriguez who was waiting outside the house in a getaway car. Another plus in Oklahoma law has resulted in Ms. Rodriguez being charged with three counts of murder for the crime she inspired. We can hope that Oklahoma’s criminal justice system insures that she is never able to commit another crime for the rest of her life.

Finally, I would say to Mr. Schumacher, yes, they did deserve to die. Happily, they will never again be able to threaten someone else’s life.

State legislators in the rest of the country should insure that the laws of their state protect victims as well as do the laws of Oklahoma.

For those legislators who have banned, or would like to ban the AR-15, had you had your way in Oklahoma, Mr. Rogers could well have been dead from multiple knife wounds and concussions caused by the impact of brass knuckles. And, not only is the AR-15 suitable for many combat situations, it is also excellent for self-defense.