Blogs

Hope those drinks were good, Carter.

OK, who fires a warning shot towards the door in which someone is breaking into? sounds like someone next door plays a bigger part in this other then protecting their domain. If I am reading to much into this article. It looks like they knew who the person was.

one question that will probably never be answered is: WHY?

what horrible, horrible news to hear today. thoughts and prayers with carter's friends and family and all of those involved in this tragedy.

Let me see, he'd been in a "physical" altercation with his girlfriend and was drunk. Then he went next door, and after REPEATED requests to stop trying to kick in the door, he STILL wouldn't stop. What was the homeowner supposed to do??? Give him a hug?? Do a field sobriety test??? Look, I didn't know Carter, but if he was nuts enough to start beating on his girlfriend, maybe he was nuts enough to start beating on (or killing) the neighbors (and at 6'5", he may have been big enough to do it without a weapon). Don't blame this on a Texas law you don't like. Blame this on a guy who couldn't hold his liquor.... Sorry to sound so callous, but when a grizzly bear charges you, you don't stand there for 5 minutes trying to analyze the situation. When a crazy is attempting to break into your house, you don't wait 15 minutes for the police to get there. You yell a warning, and if the threat continues, all bets are off.

I really have to question the judgement of those at Unfair Park when they find it OK to allow posts such as those as "Sorta Sucks". I really thought that ya'll were a step above We Shot JR. Do you have no standards? Publishing a comment like that is disrespectful to his memory, friends and family. Come on U.P.,....you're better than that!

to jim and sortasucks may you never lose anyone you love no matter what they have done

yes he was probably drunk yes he had a drinking problem no the homeowner is not responsible for this tragedy but please a mother and father just lost a child regardless what i felt about his music i send my heartfelt sympathy to all whose lives he touched.

if the articles posted so far are accurate, the home owner did what any person would do to protect their home...

Maybe, just maybe, we need to stop and consider that people who are banging loudly on the door AREN'T USUALLY BURGLARS.

Or, put another way, BURGLARS DON'T USUALLY LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THEIR PRESENCE.

We're so bent out of shape about defending our property and ourselves that we shoot first and think later. Predictably, the results are as stupid as they are tragic. Dallas is now one musical giant poorer thanks to this guy's need to protect himself with a firearm. Unforgivable.

Anon, much as it pains me to allow comments like that one, I cannot and will not delete ones I find offensive, unless they are libelous. And I do believe, as evidenced by the other posts here and on the earlier item about Carter's death, that the Friends of Unfair Park will conduct themselves with far more grace and care than our first commenter.

Totally shocked..Keep your head up Danny.

Man, this news sucks. I have never seen Sorta but have heard and read repeatedly of his talents. Senseless.

I also am confused about the story evolving on this. Why would he try to break into the neighbor's house if he was pissed off at her? That makes no sense. He would just keep trying to get into her house. Could there be a connection between what set him off at his girlfriend's place and her next door neighbor? And I agree with Mark Morgan... it's ridiculous that to scare somebody you'd shoot just above where you thought that person was. There are infinitely other places you could shoot at to make your point and the scare the hell out of him.

This doesn't sound like simply a case of someone who couldn't handle his drinks and just went irrational. There's more to this, and I hope the Observer will do an investigative story on this.

Chris, I'm glad you feel that you are able to discern everyone's intent in any and all situations. If you want to blame firearms, well, that's your call. I believe I'd be more likely to blame the substance that led a man who was apparently quite nice and quite artistic to beat his girlfriend and attempt to break in to a stranger's home.

The neighbor who did this will no doubt feel quite guilty about this for the rest of his life. I'm not for sure why you would call the actions of a man who was looking to protect the life of his wife and himself "unforgivable", but I feel this is a tragedy for both parties.

They should not prosecute the homeowner.

I don't know anybody involved in this, but you're responsible for your own actions. He drank beyond his limit, he beat her up, he went next door with questionable intent.

Sorry for his family, this could have easily been avoided.

Right now, who cares who was right and who was wrong? The dude's died tragically.

there'll be plenty of time to discuss the ins and outs of what happened later.

I didn't know carter but I'm greatly saddened by this tragedy. Alcohol can do crazy things to people, especially when mixed with anger. Sadly, this didn't have to happen but right now we shouldn't focus on this nightmare but rather concentrate on Carter's life and all the people his death has affected. Rest in peace, Carter.

I didn't know Carter, but I have heard his music. What a genius. Another great Dallas talent lost for what ever reason. I think there is more to this than what is being reported. Everything will come out in the next week. We all should keep his family and friends and band mates in our prayers... much love bro...

I cannot say that I am a sorta fan, as the only exposure i've had of them is on the hardline, so i feel no personal grief over this whole situation...i guess i can only empathize with danny and the whole ticket crew...
that being said, when i read this story, and subsequently read the comments left on this board, i can't help but draw the parallels between this event and the chris benoit tragedy...from all accounts, both of these men were gifted at what they did and loved by many, but must have had demons that they battled privately...it sucks, because it seems that those souls who are the most talented are also the most troubled...
in reply to those saying that the neighbor was wrong, there were other options besides firing at the door, etc., i pose this ? to you - where do suggest that he shoot? perhaps into his own ceiling so that in the off chance that one of his children is in the bedroom above, they are struck?...this guy was in an impossible situation and he did what he had to do...i pray that no charges are filed, because regardless of the legal actions, he has to live with this forever and ever amen...Mr. Albrecht, like so many of us desire, has touched lives positively...unfortunately, this incident has cast a dark cloud over a few, as well...

To Chris Bellomy,
This is a tragedy, but it sounds like the only thing the home owner knew was that a drunken lunatic was trying to break down his door at 4a.m. to enter the house where he and his wife were. What is he supposed to do? Should he sit and hope the police get there in time to protect he and his wife? No, you do what you feel you need to do to protect you and your wife. You are right about one thing. A burglar might not attempt to kick the door down, but a drunk who just got done beating on his woman, and then decides to take it next door would. I'm sure this is no picnic for the homeowner. He's asleep one minute, and the next he has killed somebody who was kicking in the door. Shame on Carter for all this. If he had not gotten drunk, beaten his girlfriend, then decided to kick in the guys door, the poor guy would not have to go through what he is going through today. My prayers are with him, and I hope he and his wife can recover from the trauma that was caused by Carter.
I would also like to add something for Mr. Wilonski. Calling Bill 378 the "Shoot first doctrine" is a load of crap, much like everything you do. How about caring about the innocent victims, that saved themselves by shooting the bad guy?

He was a fixture on the Dallas music scene, and he had talents that exceeded it. He will be missed.

Oh please, guys. If he comes through the door, then fine, that's self defense. The neighbor fired a pre-emptive shot through the freaking door. That's not self defense. That's just stupid and should be criminal. The manslaughter statute is on the books for a reason.

Maybe the guy will feel the weight of this for the rest of his life and maybe he won't. I couldn't possibly know. But I do know that here in Texas we have this pervasive attitude that anybody who even for a moment seems like a threat deserves whatever he gets, and that that attitude gets people killed on a pretty regular basis. This time it got a total sweetheart of a guy and an incredible talent killed. Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't be so quick to discharge our freaking weapons. Is that so much to ask? Is it just unspeakable heresy to suggest that we've become too enamored of our paranoia and our guns?

And yeah, I'm angry as hell, because I knew Carter a little and I knew his music a lot. His music filled the Wreck Room in Fort Worth tonight because here, in our gritty little cowtown 30 miles away, we understood Carter's musical ability and his passionate intensity. Unless there's supposed to be a death penalty for drunken confusion and penchant for melodrama, his life was snuffed far too early because we've been trained always to assume the worst of each other. I'm sick of our cultural paranoia and I'm heartbroken that I won't get to hear Carter play a gig again. I've lived here for 42 years but now I can't wait to move someplace where people don't take killing each other so goddam lightly.

I've got to go throw up now. Again.

Horrible, but it sounds like Carter needed a lot of help.

and Chris B, the homeowner did what everyone would have done with someone breaking into their house.

After desperately following these developments throughout the day and being privy to such overwhelmingly callous a-holish responses by the likes of 'SortaSucks' and 'Jim', I too was mortified that anyone, even under the cowardly digi-protective gauze of the message board could be so miniscule of character as to use such a situation as sounding board to feebily attempt to justify their own lack of human understanding or worth.
I now, at this moment, am grateful that Robert allowed the comments to stay as they crystalize that which is so apparently wrong in the hearts of men and, therefore in contrast, crystalise that which is right and those who it is apparent in (like you, Anon). The idiots will always seem louder and more obtrusive but those of us of gentle hearts need not make such noise.
By the way, 'Jim', we get it, guns don't kill people. But the predictably fallible nature of people, trained to be scared, with guns in their hands do.
I already miss you, Carter. God please bless us all.

b

Alcohol can make a smart man stoopid and strange things can happen after midnight. Mix the two and, well, you become a headline.

I do blame the home owner, any military or police trained individual can tell you that you never fire your weapon until you are ABSOLUTELY sure of your target. It was irresponsible for the home owner to fire through the door. What if he had missed Carter? Would the bullet have traveled accross the yard into the adjacent house? Could there have been a window and a child sleeping over there? This homeowner will forever have to live with the fact he took an innocent man's life. Until the door could be breached he was merely a nuisence... He shot a man for being a nuisance. Who needs enemies or gang bangers when you have neighbors like that...

Gun nuts please shut the f*ck up.

I'm sick and tired of the redneck excuse that more guns reduce crime.

GUESS WHAT IDIOTS? More guns actually cause some people to accidentally kill their neighbors. And it's a statistical fact that you're more likely to be killed by your own gun than by someone elses.

Sad, so sad, especially that there are so many BACKWOOD, INBRED, HILLBILLIES who think they deserve the right to own firearms.

Without guns, we would still have Carter.

The people wanting charges filed against the homeowner are over-emotional and unrealistic. I did not know the artist or homeowner personally, but I've had an intruder around my house at 4am. Standing in your underwear, nanoseconds from deep sleep, with a gun in your hand strictly out of home-protection instincts - one does not become a conscious NRA spokesperson, mentally justifying why and when to pull the trigger.
I've also been brain-dead drunk at 4am, slothing around a respectable neighborhood. Thank God I didn't have anger in the mix of my blood.
I join many people who have walked in both sets of shoes, obviously not to such extreme and dramatic means. This was the ultimate lose-lose scenario.
But I still see the homeowner as a living victim. I would imagine he still has the ringing in his ears from the gun blast inside his house, and still has fresh in his mind the horror-film images from his own doorstep that will be in his nightmares for the rest of his life. All because a man let alcohol and rage lead him with a leash down a dangerous ally.
No charges. No trial. Please.

Whatever happened to personal accountability? Carter was a musical genius, but obviously he wasn't perfect or the martyr some are trying to make him out to be. He made a terrible drunken mistake by beating up his girlfriend and paid the ultimate price. Genius as he was, he wasn't some innocent bystander. My heart goes out to the family and friends of all who have been touched by this terrible tragedy. I understand people being angry and wanting to lash out, but it's not like the neighbor asked for any of this. Military and police trained individuals may have known better than to fire without identifying the target, but what are the chances this guy was either? He truly was the innocent bystander in this whole mess!

It's simple. Someone is trying to KICK YOUR DOOR IN at 4 a.m. You do not know who it is, and even if you do, you do not know what they will do to you and your family should they succeed. You have told them to stop. They do not stop. You shoot them. It is your responsibility to protect your family so something does not happen to them like what happened to Dr. William Petit.

kate,

without guns, you would have a domestic abuse case.

Without booze fueled craziness, we would still have Carter, too.

In instances like these, it is a series of events taken together that cause a tragedy.

If there had been a detour of these events at any time during the evening, Carter would probably still be alive.

It takes multiple instances of idiocy for something this senseless to happen.

Being hammered and out of control rarely leads to good things happening. Most of us who have ever gotten that way are lucky not to have killed ourselves (or someone else) driving, and we just pay for our indiscretion by having a 3 day hang over.

Carter was a great musician, and it appears he was a good friend to a lot of people.

I am sure those that loved him will remember him as a positive force in their lives.

However, don't judge just the shooter, without judging the unfortunate target just as harshly

“SortaSucks” comments are callous, irresponsible, and mean-spirited to the core. I cannot imagine who would think that writing such drivel is appropriate, especially at this time in this forum. Regardless of the circumstances, the tragedy of a very talented, 34-year-old life cut short like this should be evident to all (even to “SortaSucks”).

It is crazy to me that shooting someone through a locked door could qualify as defending one’s life. How is one’s life in immediate jeopardy when separated by a locked door? What’s wrong with calling 911, gathering up the family, and finding the safest place possible? If the “intruder” can’t get through the door (as in this case), he can’t hurt you. If he does get through the door, you have a lot better shot PLUS the ability to determine if it’s someone you want to shoot in the first place.

Note to gun owners: more than twice as many accidental shootings of friends and family occur as compared to actually shooting bad guys. As in this case, 4AM is not a good time to be awakened abruptly and then quickly make a good, rational decision, especially with an easily accessible gun in your hand. Gun safety should be about a whole lot more than just learning to aim and pull the trigger. Here’s another case of a gun user anointing himself judge and jury, leaving the rest of us to gather the facts of the incident at a time where it will no longer bring satisfaction to anyone.

You people are idiots. For you to paint everybody who chooses to protect themselves and their loved ones from somebody that would do them harm, as a redneck or hillbilly, is just stupid. That guy was probably scared to death. At the time of his death, Carter was drunk and violent and was trying to kick his door in. If he made it in the house the homeowner's family would have been at even greater risk. If it ended up being a crackhead, instead of somebody you knew, or are fans of, would you really feel the same way? Say yes and show everybody that you care more for the criminals than their victims. It is really sad, and I feel horrible for his friends and family, but the fact of the matter is Carter created the situation, and it ended badly for him. Stop blaming the homeowner. Blame it on either Carter or the alcohol.

Sam Mac has just posted a piece to this sad puzzle.

http://www.samred.com/bigdlittled/

This is a tragic event. A nice and seemingly quiet person has been killed. But to those of you who think the homeowner was wrong or think Texans have a "hillbilly" mentality, just think about the situation logically. Those of you who are saying the homeowner should be charged are not thinking rationally. If someone is beating down your door at 4am, you are not going to wait until that person actually breaks down your door to act. That would be stupid. In that time you wait for the intruder to actually break down your door, the intruder could have a weapon of his own and shoot you first. Then shoot your wife and children. Those of you who say the homeowner should have shown restraint....if he did do this, and Carter would have broken down the door, what if he would have overpowered the homeowner? He was drunk and was already in a violent rage. What if Carter would have beaten him to death? What if Carter would have wrestled the gun away from the homeowner and shot him? Then his wife would have run to try to help and what if Carter would have shot her too? What would you all be saying if this happened?

Clear case of self defense.

Does it make you feel better to stomp on a dead man's grave? Why?

I too am a gun guy, and own at least a dozen of them. I grew up in a cop's house, and was around them constantly. It was no big deal. I am not a hillbilly, and in fact have an advanced degree from a Big 12 school.

I can see both sides of this, but I agree with Chitown Hustler. We need to show respect for the dead. Its a sad day for both families. Its an unfortunate tragedy, and we should not make this forum a chance to bash the "hillbilly" gunowners, nor a chance to promote pro-gun opinions.

Its a sad day for this town, that a talented guy is gone by a life ended way too short. But with anything else, the important things are the lessons we learn individually, not by having someone shove it down our throat. Lets be reflective, and think about how we can prevent this from happening to ourselves. We each have our own lesson to learn here.

When did we all become so black and white. I didn't know Carter personally, but felt as though I did through Danny and seeing Sorta play. This was a horrible tragedy and unfortunately some decisions are permanent. Carter didn't set out to go get drunk, beat his girlfriend and kick down someone's door, I do believe that. However, it was irresponsible for the home owner to shoot at his door. I understand his right to protect his family, but when someone is banging on your door, that's not an imminent threat, that's the same cavalier, cowboy like mentality that has given Texas it's bad name. No one knows how long the police would have taken to get there, and he hadn't broken down his door at all. I am not saying he should be prosecuted, he just simply made as poor a decision as did Carter, nothing more, Carter's decision to drink and get in a fight with his girlfriend were horrible, but no one was killed from his actions, the home owner's decision to shoot without regard caused a man's life, regardless of who incited the situation. The shoot first bill is exactly what it is. Guns don't kill people, but the gun toting morons that think we still live in the Revolutionary or confederate days do seem to kill an awful lot.

Thank you, and by the way, I'm not too chicken shit to put an alias, I prefer to use my real name and email address and have the balls to back up my statements and welcome any right wing ultra conservative who thinks that owning guns does anything other than ask for trouble to email me and share his or her altruistic views with me. Remember, our president feels the same way and he has about 3500 soldier kills under his belt, because he thinks he's defending all of us from a predator right outside the front door.

Maybe everyone on the shoot first and look at the result later and the he shouldn't have shot should all wait for the complete details to be released on this before making judgments. There seems to be a lot more to the story for a man of Carter's personality to go over board such as this. Plus add in to that mix that the door on the neighbor's house contained glass panes on the top of it and that one of those glass panes is where the shot was fired. Just seems to me that things are not adding up to the firing of a warning shot that someone thought would go over the head of the person on the other side of the door if you can see them through a glass pane and potentially have a porch light.

The "castle doctrine" has nothing to do with this case. If the homeowner feared for his life or serious bodily injury, he was justified to use deadly force. Also, nobody refers to the castle doctrine as the "shoot first law" except the staunch anti-gun lobbyists. The law is NOT a "shoot first" law. The author of this story reveals a lot by including both of these terms.

Sadly, I agree that the home owner may have made a mistake. You are not justified to "fake" deadly force. Firing a handgun is using deadly force, no matter where you aim it. If he admits that he did not intend to shoot his attacker, then he might be in trouble. You are not authorized to "shoot to injure" - you are shooting to stop a threat. If the threat is not serious enough to use deadly force, then you cannot discharge your firearm.

Except for the homeowner's admission, he would otherwise be justified. The self defense laws to not leave room for errant warning shots.

If (God forbid) you ever have to use a firearm for self defense - make sure that you speak to an attorney who knows the self defense laws before you speak to the police. Even though you committed no crime and have done nothing wrong, using the wrong words to describe your actions to the wrong detective could have serious ramifications.

I too am a gun guy, and own at least a dozen of them. I grew up in a cop's house, and was around them constantly. It was no big deal. I am not a hillbilly, and in fact have an advanced degree from a Big 12 school.

I can see both sides of this, but I agree with Chitown Hustler. We need to show respect for the dead. Its a sad day for both families. Its an unfortunate tragedy, and we should not make this forum a chance to bash the "hillbilly" gunowners, nor a chance to promote pro-gun opinions.

Its a sad day for this town, that a talented guy is gone by a life ended way too short. But with anything else, the important things are the lessons we learn individually, not by having someone shove it down our throat. Lets be reflective, and think about how we can prevent this from happening to ourselves. We each have our own lesson to learn here.

i don't know if the shooter should be charged because i'm not a lawyer. i do know he's an idiot for firing a gun through his freaking door, but i had i been in the same situation i may have done the same. guns fucking suck.

the sad truth, though is that the person most responsible for this tragedy is dead.

Please go here: http://www.gordonkeith.com/wordpress/?p=334

Danny sheds some potential light on the situation.

Whatever the cause, this whole mess is tragic. I feel horrible for all concerned.

Based on what I knew about Carter and what I read below the Chantix angle is more than a little concerning. Especially the part about The info about Hallucination, Psychotic disorder, Suicidal ideation.

Below is from the physician prescribing information. None of this makes the doctor at fault or Carter but it MAY explain the irrational acts of an otherwise rational artistic soul

Following is a list of treatment-emergent adverse events reported by patients treated with CHANTIX during all clinical trials.

NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS.Frequent: Disturbance in attention, Dizziness, Sensory disturbance. Infrequent: Amnesia, Migraine, Parosmia, Psychomotor hyperactivity, Restless legs syndrome, Syncope, Tremor. Rare: Balance disorder, Cerebrovascular accident, Convulsion, Dysarthria, Facial palsy, Mental impairment, Multiple sclerosis, Nystagmus, Psychomotor skills impaired, Transient ischemic attack, Visual field defect.

PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS.Frequent: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional disorder, Irritability, Restlessness. Infrequent: Aggression, Agitation, Disorientation, Dissociation, Libido decreased, Mood swings, Thinking abnormal. Rare: Bradyphrenia, Euphoric mood, Hallucination, Psychotic disorder, Suicidal ideation.

Although I believe that this is a tragedy, I can't say I blame the homeowner. After watching the news night after night, and hearing about the serial killer and rapist going around, knocking down doors and threatening people with a sawed off-shotgun, can you honestly say you would have reacted any other way? This criminal is still on the loose, has killed one person and raped numerous women, and forcing them to take money out of the ATM....
This is a horrible tragedy, but we can't forget how crime-ridden this city is.

Maybe I'm a jerk - But to blindly fire thru a door that hasn't even been breached just seems foolhardy to me. People who shoot blind have killed their own family members. Why not look out a window and see what's going on? And if the guy outside really wanted in, why wasn't he coming in thru a window? Burglars don't usually make that big a racket...

Has the DA down there ruled it justifiable, or will there be charges?

The neighbor SHOULD feel guilty for this! You don't fucking shoot ABOVE someone (on the off chance that they might be, oh, 6-5 or something) if you want to "scare them away", you shoot BELOW them. Hell, blast away at the motherfucker's shins all night, if you just want to "scare them away", don't shoot ANYWHERE in the vicinity of the fucking head!!! What a complete moron!!!!

I'm interested to hear the mention of 'Chantix' possibly being a catalyst in Mr. Albrecht's death. If this therapy drug has side-effects that prompted this bizarre violent outburst from an otherwise friendly and peaceful fellow (through seemingly all of his friends accounts), this news can really only help the homeowner who fired the mortal shot in self-defense.

It is irrelevant whether the psychoactive drug at work here was illicit street-bought PCP or a therapeutic smoking cessation drug if the violence prone behavioral results are indistinguishable from one another. In that light, the homeowner was certainly justified in firing. The presence of a cheap hollow-core plank of fiberboard faced with simulated woodgrain and secured with a cheap Chinese-made brass lock like we typically refer to as 'doors' in our modern slapped-together houses is neither here nor there. If this prescription drug made a good and kind man into a monster, there doubtlessly was no chance in reasoning with him once he broke through the flimsy barrier. Today we'd be looking at perhaps two or three dead people instead of one, and still be missing a talented musician probably being held on homicide charges.

To those who insist that they would have had the mental acuity to resolve the incident differently, I contend that you're entirely off-base in your 20/20 hindsight. Those of you who have never been caught unaware as a victim of random and bizarre violence are incapable of understanding all the factors which make up an incident such as this one. There is good reason why the notion of 'Castle Doctrine' exists to shield the defender against a violent actor meaning to do harm and that the benefit of the doubt is awarded the defender in all areas of the law covering the specific incident. I don't challenge that you may disagree with the concept, but the law is the law. You may have to read it and re-read the law linked previously to the Texas state government civil code website, but it clearly states that the homeowner wasn't compelled to wait until his security was breached before taking necessary defensive action. Find someone with a law degree to read it for you and explain it if you're still puzzled over it's meaning. In any event, I'd rather that you didn't sit on any of my juries.

In fact, based upon the outcome of the investigation, I do believe that this sad incident would serve future law students well as an illustrative example of the sound reasoning behind 'Castle Doctrine'.

Best wishes, hopes, and blessings to the family, friends, and fans of Carter Albrecht.

Let me say that I went to high school with Carter. I knew Carter as a talented musician and a generous spirit.

I had the chance of spending an hour or two with him at our ten year reunion, just talking about music and life. I was not privy to his personal demons and he never bragged about his obvious success as a musician. I never forget that time and have recalled fondly those hours even before I heard this sad news. I give my best to his friends and family.

Listen to Danny's description on the Ticket - the neighbor was not shooting blindly. The back door had glass in it. He called the police and warned Carter to leave several times, even warning him that he would shoot. When Carter kept trying to break in, he shot through the glass.

Whatever the "reasoning" for firing the shot, you DON'T SHOOT AT THE FUCKING HEAD if you want to SCARE somebody! You shoot at their legs, their prick, their fucking center mass if you want, but NOT THEIR HEAD! Their ain't no coming back from a bullet between the eyes! The guy got scared and decided to kill him. Simple as that. He's now claiming he was trying to "scare" him, but there's no way that's true, given the facts at hand. The son of a bitch was trying to kill him.

Whenever someone is beating my door in at 4AM, I always look through the window to make sure they are not a local musical genius before i fire my weapon.

Both men here had altered states of judgment, one willingly from alcohol (and possibly unwillingly from the prescription) and one had snap-judgment forced on him in his own home. W should forgive both men for their mistakes, they are just men. Unfortunately, one of them is no longer with us, and there are sometimes permanent consequences to quick decisions.

This is a very sad situation for both parties involved. I do feel for the homeowner and understand that he will most likely feel remorse for this for a long time to come and also understand that he was more than likely half asleep and scared during this time, however as someone else pointed out earlier why try to fire a warning shot in the air? why not point toward the ground? Afterall what goes up must come down. How may inocient people are killed on the Forth of July and New Years with people doing the same thing, NOT in self defense. Why fire through a closed door? While I may not like handguns or what one in my house I do understand why some do including my own father but there should be some sort of common sense lessons taught and ingrained in a handgun owners head before they are allowed to purchase one. Stop, Think, Act and NEVER FIRE A GUN IN THE AIR with no target IN SIGHT.

What's the NRA's advice for responsible firearm use during snap-judgments?

Probably, "Shoot in the vicinity of the head first, ask questions later."