I was a victim and it was my own fault.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by pierre shags

Let’s imagine you did have a gun handy and chased him, but he was faster and getting away, so you shot him at 30 feet and killed him.

What would the law be? He wasn’t presenting a threat. You shot him in the back for a laptop.

In Texas that's hot pursuit and you have a defense. And it's not for a laptop, which is an incredibly short sighted viewpoint. It's for being a thief, and that is a career criminal. He is presenting a threat to your property and you have every right (in Texas) to resolve that threat with deadly force. Your actions would be reviewed by the DA because it is against the penal code to discharge a firearm in the city limits (assuming a city) and against the penal code to use deadly force. You literally have to plead guilty to those, and then present your defense (resolving the threat) which happily is supported by Texas law.

Glad you didn't kill anybody Timco, though you would be justified. No legal entanglements and no dead guy to think about. Hope the knee heals up quickly, and you might consider getting a doggy friend for you (semi worthless) dog. Wishing you the best!