Thrown Down, Prosthetic Leg Torn Off, Still Under Attack: Older Man Fired Four Shots
A man who was thrown to the ground and had his prosthetic leg detached during a fight outside a Gray smoke shop in August will not face charges for the four shots he fired, District Attorney General Steve Finney’s office announced Tuesday. The man who attacked him, 24-year-old Dalton Spaulding, was found dead in the parking lot outside A1 Smoke and Vape.
Finney’s office concluded that Spaulding was the primary aggressor in the altercation, as reported by WCYB. The First Judicial District Attorney General’s release, as reported by WJHL, says the Johnson City Police Department investigation found the confrontation started when Spaulding accused the man of looking at Spaulding’s grandfather in a disrespectful manner.
The accusation turned physical. Spaulding threw the man to the ground. The impact detached the man’s prosthetic leg. The fighting continued. The man fired four rounds. Three struck Spaulding in the chest and arm, according to WJHL. Spaulding died there in the parking lot.
I keep coming back to the disparity here. A man with a prosthetic leg is on the pavement, and the leg he needs to stand up, retreat, or even square up to defend himself is no longer attached to his body. A 24-year-old who has already thrown him down is still coming. There is no running from that position, and there is no fair fight from that position either. The attacker holds every physical advantage, and the man on the ground has exactly one way to end it.
Finney said multiple witness statements and surveillance video supported the finding that the man acted in self-defense.
Finney’s office concluded that Spaulding was the primary aggressor in the altercation, as reported by WCYB. The First Judicial District Attorney General’s release, as reported by WJHL, says the Johnson City Police Department investigation found the confrontation started when Spaulding accused the man of looking at Spaulding’s grandfather in a disrespectful manner.
The accusation turned physical. Spaulding threw the man to the ground. The impact detached the man’s prosthetic leg. The fighting continued. The man fired four rounds. Three struck Spaulding in the chest and arm, according to WJHL. Spaulding died there in the parking lot.
I keep coming back to the disparity here. A man with a prosthetic leg is on the pavement, and the leg he needs to stand up, retreat, or even square up to defend himself is no longer attached to his body. A 24-year-old who has already thrown him down is still coming. There is no running from that position, and there is no fair fight from that position either. The attacker holds every physical advantage, and the man on the ground has exactly one way to end it.
Finney said multiple witness statements and surveillance video supported the finding that the man acted in self-defense.
70-79, M
