Story Archive

Freaks of Nomenclature, Bilateral Division

Two weeks after graduating from the University of Colorado, a 21-year-old student allegedly went into someone else’s Boulder house at 3:30 in the morning. When the shadowy figure entered the bedroom, the homeowner yelled at the intruder to get out — and he had a gun. When the figure came closer, the homeowner fired a shot, and the intruder dropped. Zoey Ripple, 21, police say, had a blood-alcohol level of “above” 0.2 percent; she was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to her hip. The homeowner will not be charged, police say, as Timothy Justice was acting in self defense. Ripple will be, though: felony criminal trespass. She likely won’t see jail time. “We see this pretty frequently,” said District Attorney Stan Garnett, and the goal of prosecutors is for the court “to help the person get the treatment they need for their drinking.” (RC/Denver Post) ...After the trespass: just one shot. Before the trespass: way too many shots.
Original Publication Date: 24 June 2012
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 18.

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I believe humanity is held back by the lack of thinking. I provoke thought with examples of what happens when we don’t think, and when we do. This is True is my primary method: stories like this come out every week by email, and basic subscriptions are free. Click here for a subscribe form.


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