When I was reading the Oct. 8 article “VCU student is
a hero, not a felon,” I couldn’t help but notice a few things
that stood out in my mind. First, when stating the facts,
there is an omission of the biggest fact in the case. It is left
out that once Mr. Fielding fired three shots at the robber
in the store, he followed him out of the store and shot at
him an additional eight times.
The article then addresses the Virginia law that allows
people to use deadly force when they reasonably feel their life
or the life of another is in danger. I don’t think that anyone,
including the commonwealth attorney, has a problem with
Fielding firing the first three shots at the robber inside the
store, but do you reasonably feel your life is still in danger
when the robber is running out of the store and down the
street? I think that these additional eight shots do make
Fielding a trigger-happy individual. The robber was hit
only two times, so if they were both outside the store, that
means there were six bullets flying recklessly in the air.
What if one of those six bullets killed an innocent person
– would Fielding still be considered a hero?
I am pro-gun and think that people should be allowed to
defend themselves, but in this case, I believe that Fielding
went too far in his actions. He committed a crime and
should be punished for it.
– Jason Gallo