04-02-2013, 05:42 AM
The cited article mentions:
The OP asserts:
However, there is no evidence in the article to suggest that McLelland had a gun at home. It was Hasse who was armed and he was gunned down not at home, but outside the county courthouse in broad daylight.
Beyond this, the data provided in the article isn't enough to deduce much of anything. A kicked in door and "shell casings everywhere" suggest that the killers surprised McLelland and his wife and possibly gunned them down with a large amount of bullets.
In situations such as this, where the victims are taken by surprise and with extreme force, it becomes difficult to meet that force with an equal or exceeding amount of force. From the details in the article, it would seem that perhaps these are indeed retaliation killings by criminals who are unlikely to have procured their weapons through legal channels, but we cannot tell with any level of certainly because the article lacks information.
"And authorities aren't sure whether their killing are part of a broader scheme targeting criminal justice officials."
"A law enforcement official told The Dallas Morning News that a door was apparently kicked in, and 'there are shell casings everywhere.'"
"The McLellands were killed almost exactly two months after Hasse was shot to death in broad daylight outside the county courthouse on January 31.
Hasse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, said a Dallas attorney who described herself as his longtime friend.
The OP asserts:
Apparently having a gun in the home for self-defense didn't help him and his wife.
However, there is no evidence in the article to suggest that McLelland had a gun at home. It was Hasse who was armed and he was gunned down not at home, but outside the county courthouse in broad daylight.
Beyond this, the data provided in the article isn't enough to deduce much of anything. A kicked in door and "shell casings everywhere" suggest that the killers surprised McLelland and his wife and possibly gunned them down with a large amount of bullets.
In situations such as this, where the victims are taken by surprise and with extreme force, it becomes difficult to meet that force with an equal or exceeding amount of force. From the details in the article, it would seem that perhaps these are indeed retaliation killings by criminals who are unlikely to have procured their weapons through legal channels, but we cannot tell with any level of certainly because the article lacks information.