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Old 06-21-2018, 10:05 AM
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LoboGunLeather LoboGunLeather is offline
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I will tell the OP what I have told a hundred other folks (or more) over the years:

If you are ever involved in a deadly force situation the only statement you should make is something like this: "I WAS IN FEAR FOR MY LIFE. I WAS FORCED TO DEFEND MYSELF. I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER TO SAY UNTIL I AM REPRESENTED BY LEGAL COUNSEL."

Short version: SHUT UP, LAWYER UP.

Why? Because otherwise you will be interviewed and interrogated again and again, by several officers and/or prosecutors, and those folks will then go over every word said, building the time-line of the events, and looking for any discrepancies, additions, or evasive responses. You may be asked to re-enact the events, again and again, while being video-taped, again searching for changes, discrepancies, etc.

Wait until you have a lawyer, then explain everything in detail, answer all the lawyer's questions, and allow your lawyer to assist you in providing a statement ONE TIME, and respond to questions only with the supervision and approval of your lawyer.

You are under no legal or moral obligation to assist authorities build a case, POSSIBLY AGAINST YOU.

That will help you get through the criminal justice side of the situation. That still leaves the civil law side to deal with. You can expect to be served with a civil complaint seeking financial damages for the bad guy, for the bad guy's mother & father, for the bad guy's wife & girlfriends, for the bad guy's children, for the bad guy's elderly grandmother(s), and possibly others.

You must defend against such civil claims; failure to respond can result in a judgement against you by default. Defense costs will certainly include attorneys' fees, court costs, and probably some investigators' fees and expert witness fees. It will be terribly expensive, and it will drag on for months, possibly a few years, before the matter is adjudicated or settled. So you should be looking at your insurance coverage; if you have a homeowners' policy find out if your personal liability coverage will apply to such events (on your premises, off your premises, etc). You may want to discuss adding an umbrella liability policy (relatively inexpensive), but only if it is known to include such personal liability matters. You may want to explore specific insurance policies designed for just such incidents (NRA has a pretty good policy at minimal expense).

The main thing you will get with proper insurance coverage is legal representation and defense costs. Granted, the attorneys involved will be primarily representing the insurance company, rather than you personally, but in order to defend the claim they will have to defend you and your acts. Don't be surprised if the insurance carrier decides to settle the claims by paying an out-of-court settlement; this is very common. Sometimes referred to as a "nuisance settlement", basically the insurance companies actuaries will estimate the total costs of litigating the case, then see if they can settle the claim for a lesser amount, thus saving the insurance company some money.

Please go to the NRA website and explore their endorsed insurance policy for firearms owners. If nothing else, having such a policy may settle your mind a bit and allow you to go forward in peace.

Best regards.
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