A LOOK TO KILL FOR

This guy is named Markus Kaarma.  He lives in Montana, a very gun-friendly state.

 In April of this year, after his house was burglarized twice, Markus caught  a 17 year old intruder in his garage.  The intruder’s friends later told police that they all went “garage hopping,” meaning that they broke into people’s garages and stole stuff.

When Marcus caught their friend in his garage (not walking past on the sidewalk), Marcus shot  and killed the 17 year old intruder.

This is the 17 year old Markus Kaarma shot and killed, at night, in his garage, trespassing and attempting burglary. 

 His name is Diren Dede.  He was a German exchange student.

On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old  American-born student, was shot and killed in the street by a local resident who disregarded police orders not to follow the 17 year old.  He wasn’t trespassing. He wasn’t on the shooter’s property.  The shooter pursued him because he “looked suspicious.”

Trayvon looked  like this.

The man who killed him looks like this.

In both cases, the shooters argued self-defense under their state’s version of “stand your ground. “ In Montana, it’s called the “castle defense,” as in a man’s home is his castle.

In both cases a young man is dead.  In both cases an adult took that young life.  In both cases, something less than 9mm bullets or shotgun rounds could have settled the situation.

This guy was acquitted.  

On December 18th, Markus Kaarma was convicted of deliberate homicide.  (In case you forgot, that was the case where the serial burglar was caught inside the garage trying to steal stuff.)

It seems that only one of these young men looked suspicious enough to kill.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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