It was chaotic, wild, and right out of the wild, wild west.
Mike Starr, a gun-toting business owner, took the law into his own hands early Thursday and shot two thieves attempting to steal air conditioning units.
Starr — who owns Team Texas High Performance Driving School — lives on the business property in the 9500 block of Industrial Road just south of Justin in unincorporated Denton County. He said he heard some noise about 5:30 a.m. and went outside to investigate armed with what he described as a "scatter gun."
Denton County Sheriff's Department spokesman Tom Reedy said when the owner spotted his stolen property inside the bed of the crooks' truck, he opened fire on 53-year-old Joseph Vergal Prescott of Grand Prairie and 55-year-old Michael Allen O'Shea of Irving with a powerful 12-gauge shotgun with buckshot load.
The suspects were airlifted to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment. Prescott was in critical condition; O’Shea was reported in stable condition.
Authorities said O'Shea has a lengthy criminal record, having served several prison terms for burglary, forgery, drug, and assault charges. Prescott had only traffic infractions.
Now they both face charges of felony theft over $1,500.
Starr was apparently was within his rights when he opened fire, thanks to Texas' Castle Law. "My layman understanding of the law is that the property owner has the right to protect his property and his safety," Reedy said.
Bottom line: All Texans have can use deadly force, if used on their own property to protect themselves or their belongings. No gun license is required, either.
It is a lesson O'Shea and Prescott learned the hard way.
"Stealing a man's air conditioner in the summertime is a pretty serious offense, but we don't recommend people going around shooting people," Reedy said.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Two-men-shot-in-Denton-County--97590044.html.
