Johns Hopkins Undergrad Kills Burglar with a Samurai Sword

littleowl33 · #1 09-15-2009, 10:46 AM

Everyone on campus is talking about this. It happened around 1 in the morning last night. I really wish I knew who this was... I'm sure it will come out sometime soon. Pretty much everyone is praising his actions. While I'm not sure he needed to kill the guy, I have to say that the rate of crime and burglary around campus (this is literally a 2 minute walk from the freshman dorms) has gotten really ridiculous. I live in an apartment, not a row house, because I don't want to deal with this kind of crap. It's frustrating and infuriating. Not to mention the school just had a non-lethal shooting at a night club filled with students (just a few blocks over) and is dealing with a swine flu outbreak. What a month.

I doubt the student is affiliated, but this is just a few houses down from the Beta house. Scary.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...,4027961.story

A Johns Hopkins University student armed with a samurai sword killed a man who broke into the garage of his off-campus residence early Tuesday, a Baltimore police spokesman said.

According to preliminary reports, a resident of the 300 block of E. University Parkway called police about a suspicious person, department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. An off-duty officer responded about 1:20 a.m. to the area with university security, according to Guglielmi. They heard shouts and screams from a neighboring house and found the suspected burglar suffering from a nearly severed hand and lacerations to his upper body, he said.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

The student told police that he heard a commotion in the house and went downstairs armed with a samurai sword, Guglielmi said. He saw the side door to the garage had been pried open and found a man inside, who lunged at the student.

Detectives were still interviewing the student and his three roommates Tuesday morning, Guglielmi said. Burglars had already stolen two laptops and a Sony PlayStation from the student's home Monday, according to Guglielmi.

Dennis O'Shea, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins, said all four residents of the house are undergraduate students at the university.

The suspected burglar, whose name was not released pending notification of next of kin, had prior convictions for breaking and entering and had just been released Saturday from a Baltimore County facility, Guglielmi said.

DaemonSeid · #2 09-15-2009, 11:08 AM

well JHU is like a hop skip and a gunshot away from the hood so this isn't exactly a surprise about the crime rate.

It's amazing how many kids come to Baltimore wide eyed and after they graduate they know better...

Even worse, the student can be charged with murder (all the rest of you lawyer types please chime in) for taking the law into his own hands...if he had just fought the burglar the most he could have gotten was assault, but a samurai sword and a dead body?

bad news.

Psi U MC Vito · #3 09-15-2009, 11:22 AM

First off, WTF kind of college students keeps a live katana in his room? Second, the kid had the sword, was seen with the sword, and the bugular attacked them anyway. I doubt it would be murder, but I'm not a lawyer so just what I think.

Little32 · #4 09-15-2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

First off, WTF kind of college students keeps a live katana in his room?

To add, do colleges routinely allow students to keep deadly weapons in their dorms? Seems there would be some sort of provision against that.

littleowl33 · #5 09-15-2009, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

First off, WTF kind of college students keeps a live katana in his room?

At Hopkins? No one would bat an eyelash. It tends to be a pretty, um, eclectic crowd.

knight_shadow · #6 09-15-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little32

To add, do colleges routinely allow students to keep deadly weapons in their dorms? Seems there would be some sort of provision against that.

The article says that he lived off campus.

I've seen a few people keep swords in their dorm rooms at my alma mater even though it's against the rules.

Little32 · #7 09-15-2009, 11:33 AM

See, I missed that big Off-Campus in the first sentence as I scanned.

Kevin · #8 09-15-2009, 12:39 PM

It sounds like there were multiple wounds. I'm not sure JHU is a castle doctrine state, but even if it's not, if the sword-wielder should have reasonably thought the threat was over after striking the first (or next or whatever blow) he's going to be in some pretty big trouble.

Psi U MC Vito · #9 09-15-2009, 01:16 PM

Castle Doctrine?

DaemonSeid · #10 09-15-2009, 01:34 PM

Kevin...

Baltimore City

jojapeach · #11 09-15-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

They heard shouts and screams from a neighboring house and found the suspected burglar suffering from a nearly severed hand and lacerations to his upper body, he said.

I don't see how this is going to end well for the student. I know it was self-defense, but I have a hard time picturing that he nearly cut off this hand and issued cuts to the upper body in one motion or even two. I'm intrigued to see how this ends.

I'd like to think that this would cut down on crime in that section, even if for a short while.