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Confronted by two holdup men, pharmacist Jerome Ersland pulled a gun, shot one of them in the head and chased the other away. Then, in a scene recorded by the drugstore's security camera, he went behind the counter, got another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the wounded teenager as he lay on the floor.

Now Ersland has been charged with first-degree murder in a case that has stirred a furious debate over vigilante justice and self-defense and turned the pharmacist into something of a folk hero.

Ersland, 57, is free on $100,000 bail, courtesy of an anonymous donor. He has won praise from the pharmacy's owner, received an outpouring of cards, letters and checks from supporters, and become the darling of conservative talk radio.

"His adrenaline was going. You're just thinking of survival," said John Paul Hernandez, 60, a retired Defense Department employee who grew up in the neighborhood. "All it was is defending your employee, business and livelihood. If I was in that position and that was me, I probably would have done the same thing."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090530/D98GKDC80.html

The robbery and execution of the unarmed teen are shown here:

[youtube][/youtube]

He won't be robbing anybody again anytime soon.

catamount man wrote:He won't be robbing anybody again anytime soon.

And the pharmacist won't be executing anybody again anytime soon.

He's going to the big house for a LONG time.


Hope it was worth it.

catamount man wrote:He won't be robbing anybody again anytime soon.

YUP!

This one is unbelievably to me a pretty clear case of wrongdoing by the Pharmacy Clerk. Self defense whether we like it or not ends when the attack has been successfully repelled. After that it was murder. Too bad he carried it that far and although I agree that the teen won't be doing that again I just can't help but feel that I would be outraged if a fella had the opportunity to repel an attack from someone I know and then proceeded to murder him out of spite.

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote:This one is unbelievably to me a pretty clear case of wrongdoing by the Pharmacy Clerk. Self defense whether we like it or not ends when the attack has been successfully repelled. After that it was murder. Too bad he carried it that far and although I agree that the teen won't be doing that again I just can't help but feel that I would be outraged if a fella had the opportunity to repel an attack from someone I know and then proceeded to murder him out of spite.

That is my feeling as well.

Self defense is great.

But when you chase one suspect out of the store, leaving behind two innocent customers, then return, walk past the downed robber, turn your back on him, and then execute him with 5 gun shots, you just committed murder.

Yes, the robber was in the wrong. But to suggest he deserved to be executed is barbaric, and if that is how you want your justice, then I suggest you move to Saudi Arabia. That is NOT America.

How amped up would you be if someone came in and pointed a gun at you? I am not saying what he did was right, but I often wonder how far I would go if someone pulled a gun on me and I had a chance at retribution.

While not the same, this guy got freed from his charges of manslaughter.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 251000.ece

On November 4 last year in the southern Afghan village of Chehel Gazi, Ayala, who had retired from the US Army and was working as a military contractor, was part of a team aimed at helping US soldiers understand Afghan culture. With him was Paula Loyd, an anthropologist embedded with the unit.

Minutes before he was shot, Salam — posing as an unthreatening Afghan citizen — had been chatting with Loyd about the price of fuel. Suddenly, he threw a bucket of petrol on her and set her on fire.

Soldiers dragged Loyd, 36, to a sewage-filled drainage ditch to put out the flames. It took three men, including Ayala, to subdue and handcuff Salam. The Taleban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

When others told Ayala how badly Loyd was injured, he put a 9mm pistol to Salam’s head and pulled the trigger. Salam died instantly. Loyd’s death was far longer and more painful. With second and third-degree burns covering 60 per cent of her body, she clung to life for two months before finally dying on January 7 at Brooke Army Medical Centre in San Antonio.

But what is different here, besides being in America, is that the druggist clearly had time to amp down. He was very delibrate in coming back in, finding the other gun, etc.

dbackjon wrote:But what is different here, besides being in America, is that the druggist clearly had time to amp down. He was very delibrate in coming back in, finding the other gun, etc.

Agreed, and please don't think I was aiming that question at you. It was rhetorical.

Hell, when that lady caused the accident with my son and the bicycle trailer, I had visions of grabbing her by the throat. That is not a pretty site and admitting it brings shame to me, but emotions are emotions and that wasn't even close to someone pulling a gun on me.

SeattleGriz wrote:How amped up would you be if someone came in and pointed a gun at you? I am not saying what he did was right, but I often wonder how far I would go if someone pulled a gun on me and I had a chance at retribution.

While not the same, this guy got freed from his charges of manslaughter.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 251000.ece

On November 4 last year in the southern Afghan village of Chehel Gazi, Ayala, who had retired from the US Army and was working as a military contractor, was part of a team aimed at helping US soldiers understand Afghan culture. With him was Paula Loyd, an anthropologist embedded with the unit.

Minutes before he was shot, Salam — posing as an unthreatening Afghan citizen — had been chatting with Loyd about the price of fuel. Suddenly, he threw a bucket of petrol on her and set her on fire.

Soldiers dragged Loyd, 36, to a sewage-filled drainage ditch to put out the flames. It took three men, including Ayala, to subdue and handcuff Salam. The Taleban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

When others told Ayala how badly Loyd was injured, he put a 9mm pistol to Salam’s head and pulled the trigger. Salam died instantly. Loyd’s death was far longer and more painful. With second and third-degree burns covering 60 per cent of her body, she clung to life for two months before finally dying on January 7 at Brooke Army Medical Centre in San Antonio.

SeaGriz I have a completely different feeling about what you have posted here and what I saw on the video of the druggist. In my simple thinking I can only come up with the fact that these are totally different and I don't even think you are trying to make them parallel.

I believe you have had a gun pulled on you as well so you know that feeling. The adrenaline is more powerful than any other thrill but the one thing that it did not do is cloud my thinking. It completely cleared it of any other thoughts than the task at hand...not dying. You become more aware of everything around you instantly and you would never turn your back on the perpetrator if you were even slightly uneasy that he could harm you. Especially if you had a gun in your hand. There is something about this guy that doesn't sit right with me. He was so calm and cool with what appears to be no fear that it just seems odd. Even the gait of the guys walk looks as if he's just going to turn off some lights on his way home. I don't behrudge the guy having a gun or even having 2 or 5 guns. He had the wherewithal to walk back in right by the guy that was down and go in the back and grab another gun and come out and finish off an apparently living man. I'm flying off on a conspiracy tangent but this doesn't look like a guy that hasn't taken a life or two before. That being said I don't think he'll go down real hard for this.

The kid got what he deserved if it had happened in the initial shooting. The fact that it was a secondary act makes it a lot harder to accept and feel any morality.

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote: SeaGriz I have a completely different feeling about what you have posted here and what I saw on the video of the druggist. In my simple thinking I can only come up with the fact that these are totally different and I don't even think you are trying to make them parallel.

I believe you have had a gun pulled on you as well so you know that feeling. The adrenaline is more powerful than any other thrill but the one thing that it did not do is cloud my thinking. It completely cleared it of any other thoughts than the task at hand...not dying. You become more aware of everything around you instantly and you would never turn your back on the perpetrator if you were even slightly uneasy that he could harm you. Especially if you had a gun in your hand. There is something about this guy that doesn't sit right with me. He was so calm and cool with what appears to be no fear that it just seems odd. Even the gait of the guys walk looks as if he's just going to turn off some lights on his way home. I don't behrudge the guy having a gun or even having 2 or 5 guns. He had the wherewithal to walk back in right by the guy that was down and go in the back and grab another gun and come out and finish off an apparently living man. I'm flying off on a conspiracy tangent but this doesn't look like a guy that hasn't taken a life or two before. That being said I don't think he'll go down real hard for this.

The kid got what he deserved if it had happened in the initial shooting. The fact that it was a secondary act makes it a lot harder to accept and feel any morality.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I am in no way excusing the guy, just simply wondering how far one can be expected to go "in the heat of the moment". I do also agree that moment had clearly passed. The man went too far.

And yes, I did have a rather large gun put right in my face one night walking home from the bars in Missoula. Simply said, "whoa" and did an about face and prayed I wasn't shot in the back. Got around the corner and I think Carl Lewis would have been hard pressed to beat me in the 100 meter that night.

That's what I thought you were saying and a clear picture after your reply ot dback but I had already typed it so I hit submit anyway.

dbackjon wrote:The robbery and execution of the unarmed teen are shown here:

[youtube][/youtube]

Murder for sure. He never even tries to call for help after he runs the other guy off.

What a dumba$$.....can't believe he forgot to turn off the security camera when he went to fetch the second gun....deserves to go to prison for his stupidity alone.....

He's an american hero. One less punk on the streets raping your wife or killing someone you love. Too bad the RX didn't have the smarts to turn off the camera so this would be a non issue for him.

If I was the judge, he gets 2 years probation and no jail time.

D1B wrote:He's an american hero. One less punk on the streets raping your wife or killing someone you love. Too bad the RX didn't have the smarts to turn off the camera so this would be a non issue for him.

If I was the judge, he gets 2 years probation and no jail time.

So, you make decisions like Sodomeyer.

AZGrizFan wrote:

D1B wrote:He's an american hero. One less punk on the streets raping your wife or killing someone you love. Too bad the RX didn't have the smarts to turn off the camera so this would be a non issue for him.

If I was the judge, he gets 2 years probation and no jail time.

So, you make decisions like Sodomeyer.

Yeah, sure I do, moron.

Had a local case here a few years back, owners of a popular bar and grill reside in the basement of the the joint. When awakened in the middle of the night by noises upstairs, the mister grabbed his .44 mag and went to investigate, when he got to the bar he could see the butt and legs of someone crawling back out of the drive up window, he leveled out the .44 and capped him right in the kiester. The prowler made it on through the opening, perhaps with a 240 grain hollow point providing extra push, then staggered down the street about fifty yards and expired. Initially facing scrutiny, and threat of charges because the intruder was in fact trying to leave the establishment, and could not have presented an immediate threat to the bar owner he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in light of the dead man's criminal history.

Nobody has broken into the Elkhorn since.

Personally, with the exception that this guy forgets he is on camera I can see nothing wrong with what he did. So lets see, two armed druggie losers come in and threaten to kill him I am assuming unless he hands over drugs and money. He then shoots one, chases the other comes back and makes sure the other one is dead. Really what is the problem, one less dirt bag out on the streets of the cesspool known as ok city.
I have give the guy props for what he did, too bad he forgot that video works both ways.

D1B wrote:He's an american hero. One less punk on the streets raping your wife or killing someone you love. Too bad the RX didn't have the smarts to turn off the camera so this would be a non issue for him.

If I was the judge, he gets 2 years probation and no jail time.

If his electronics skills are anything like my moms, all he would have needed to do was to just touch the recorder and everything would have been screwed up!!!

The pharmacist was in the wrong, yes.

But I don't think it should be first degree murder.

I really just don't have any sympathy for those that commit armed robbery.

[quote="JayJ79"]The pharmacist was in the wrong, yes.

But I don't think it should be first degree murder.

I really just don't have any sympathy for those that commit armed robbery.[/quote]

I agree!

Appaholic wrote:What a dumba$$.....can't believe he forgot to turn off the security camera when he went to fetch the second gun....deserves to go to prison for his stupidity alone.....

...shows he was still stressed out from having his life threatened. I give him probation.