Homeowner in Fort Worth shoots and kills man in his backyard

burlyqueen says:

I love the Castle Law!! Especially when there are children to protect.

SYFreeman says:

Did anyone stop to wonder why five shots? why not shoot up in the air... or one warning shot something...To aimlessly shoot is not right? I am well aware of the castle law but I think this Homeowner took it too far. I kno Mr. Bullock Personally Growing up in NJ he was always involved always scored above the rest in High School and excelled at everything he did. Something just isn't adding up here... The facts will be revealed...

RIP Pierre Bullock... A father, brother, son, husband and friend.

-Sharon Y, NJ

Texanforever says:

How many guy's were with Pierre in this guy's yard? How many does it take for 5 rounds not to be overkill? (no pun intended) Killing someone is not what I would want to do but I dang sure don't intend to become a dead homeowner that waited just a little to long to protect my family or myself. Yes I have had family members murdered. Yes every family member since that second one has owned a gun and known how to shoot them to defend themselves.

ch0 says:

I am personally familiar with this neighborhood. A "grow-house" was busted there a couple months back.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/sto...

A typical 90's McTract 'hood with 4-bed semi-brick two-story boxes squeezed in too close for comfort, and a rising percentage of renters. Sh!t happens everywhere. Any arsehole in someone's backyard at night should expect Trouble, up to and including, homicide, whether later deemed justifiable or not. This is the way of things in Texas. God rest his soul.

babygirl1985 says:

The man should have stayed his house and call the cops not shoot like he in some wild west movie. The Castle Law was NOT put in place for wanna be cowboys to shoot people. Only God knows why Mr. Bullock was on that man's property and if that man was smart he would have did the right thing and picked up a phone instead of a gun.

momzilla says:

Yeah. I'm generally a firm supporter of the castle laws, but seems to me like the perp needs to be actually in the castle or at least in the act of breaking in. Grab your gun, call the cops and if you hear a window break, then start firing. Otherwise, you might hit somebody who was hiding from robbers, or who was fetching a frisbee from your yard, or trying to fetch his cat.

But considering how that neighborhood has gotten, I can see why the homeowner was afraid for his family. I wouldn't call him an "ahole" or anything like that, at least based on the facts we have. Just because this young man was a really good kid as a teenager doesn't mean that he hasn't had his outlook and behavior warped by drugs and bad companions.

ch0 says:

ST article says five...

ch0 says:

hey you kids get offa my lawn?

as a former youthful prankster, i am taken aback at such an extreme solution...

as a parent and mortgage-holder, i dare a human to risk his life threatening the physical security of my tots... death awaits

Tough call. Not enough information provided to make an objective determination. In such cases, Castle Law trumps. Rest In Peace, Pierre.

ch0 says:

Yeah dude, I wish there were no bullets. We could all just taze each other to Electric Valhalla and rock out to Jimi...

No easy answers as long as we're US

jtmbls says:

For some of us, there is only scary dude in his underwear screaming at us for merely blowing the leaves off of our lawns...

Texanforever says:

Babygirl and Momzilla

When you only have the facts that a news account gives you it's not possible to judge someone. Can you tell what the circumstance of the Homeowner knowing there was someone in his yard was? Could have been he heard them trip over the kids toys, maybe one of them told the other shut up too loud, maybe they had pulled a screen off or dropped their hammer on the patio.

Warning shots sound great but at 2AM I'm not warning a dude that might at that moment figure his only chance is to return fire in my direction without being as kind about warning me. I know which way the lane is clear to cut loose at in my neighborhood the baddies don't care, look at all the little kids they accidentally hit when retaliating because someone dissed them.

I know my gate stays locked so anyone in my backyard without me knowing about it will have PD on the way, but if he attempts to so much as smudges one of my windows while we are waiting I will spread him on the lawn one way or the other.

In the house it is terminate immediately the cops will already be on the way b-4 they penetrate the wall line of the house, (technology is wonderful) unfortunately a lot of bad things can happen before they can get there so someone has to make sure it isn't to the wrong side of the equation. 'specially on Sat nite/Sun mornin'.

Castle law just means it's my house, car or other place I have a legal right to be and if you threaten harm I am not obligated to retreat to the basment I can defend myself, or someone else and or our property without being oblidged to let Benny the burgler just walk off with it or assault someone. Cool neat concept the vic can fight back a definite change from the Dr. Spock approach that got us here in the 70's & 80's.

jtmbls says:

Hear, hear!!

Curious says:

Having read the commentary on the demise of Mr. Bullock, I can only conclude that there is much need for an indepth investigation. Someone needs to look at land line and cellular phone records of the deceased and the shooter. It appears that a conncetion is possible. Did the deceased know the killer or perhaps he knew his wife or girlfriend. Was the deceased invited into this backyard for the purpose of being executed under the guise of the "castle law"? This all sounds very misleading and full of holes. I do not buy the story of "hearing someone in my backyard" Anyone wishingyou hard would be walking easy and not making noise. Anyone making loud noise, was not there to harm or destruct property. If the deceased was there making any kind of noise, I would believe he was partying or hanging out with others. people in your backyard making noise would probably alert you to the point of looking out the window to see who is there. If it were a few people, you would probably call 911 first and then wait for the police to arrive. This sounds like the deceased was probably in the back yard with the shooters wife or girlfriend. Hmmm, could this be a shooting of jealous rage? 5 Shots from a shotgun? That means he emptied the gun. Back in the house to reload? Hmmm, sounds like premeditated murder to me.

jtmbls says:

Excellent work Miss Marple! Case closed!

unknown says:

OK first of all. ALL OF YALL ARE STUPID. Because i live in front of them. This isnt the first time anyone breakin them to their house.OK? so when they broke into their house the first time and hurt his kids and his wife he said he was going to buy and gun and that if they were to break in again he was gonna shoot no matter what. to protect his family. and also it was at 12:30 in the morning ok what the hell is a fuin person going to do in the back of your damn yard at that time?? giving you a visit?? ya that make senses. he got what he deserve i'm sorry it sucks that he died. but noone told him to go to nobodys house and try to rob them. so i mean he never better. and if he took to see someone dead to stop the damn robberies around this damn neighboorhood well their you have it. and i heard it and saw the dude break in and I called the police too. thats when they shortly came. everybodys life could have been in danger. he did what he had to do to protect his 2yr old and his 4yr old. bullock shouldn't have been snooping around like that. and breaking in. sorry. BUT NOW YA'LL NOW.what really happen.

ch0 says:

Thank you for setting me straight.

Sincerely, Stupid

babygirl1985 says:

Ok Unknown according to the papers(and i have read all of them) he was not in his house nor was he trying to break in, so like I said before he was in his yard. WE dont know wat he was doing there and WE will never know. I have a family of my own and I will kill for them as well in the name of protecting them, NOT because I was afraid of the posibility of something bad happening. He NEVER called the cops so wat does that say. People run through my back yard all the time and i dont go shooting every neighborhood child that does. He has a right to protect what is his but shooting blindly in the night is uncalled for.

unknown says:

Ok first of "Bby girl" your dumb i was there dumb a i saw it! IIIIIII called the police before them okay not what REPORTERS say or print out its all the truth.thats just the reporter report to get money of it. okay so i was there i saw it and heard it and he has a tall as fence of wood so i mean your gonna jump somebodys fence just to walk around it??um yeah that make sense yall dont know anything.

ch0 says:

baha bbygrl ur a dum lulz

ch0 says:

I gotta say, the Star-Telegram comment thread on this one is interesting... it seems that this situation is multi-layered, like an onion... they knew each other and had issues prior to this incident... babygirl and unknown are slap-boxing over there too...

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/sto...

icyunvash says:

Ok I already know who UNKNOWN is...thats the same dummie on the other page that I read on another site STARCHICA....U r so predicatable u wrote thew same damn thing on this blog....she claims she was there and saw the whole thing..then why didnt ur dumb ass get shot then stupid....Pierre is my ex boyfriend I lived right in back of him and his family here in Jersey. Pierre did not deserve to die like this. Now I have bury a dear friend cuz you country ass morons down in Texas wanna act like some fake as cowboys. His family and friends are devastated and this is not the way I wanted to see him last...his daughter will never know her father...Pierre was not trying to break into the guys house cuz it was never reported that he did...he was trying to hop a fence...A DAMN FENCE and he has to die for that? I read the laws of Texas and if I am not mistaken if Pierre was trying to break into his house and cause harm then fine Pierre just had to learn the hard way...but Pierre was not trying to do that so therefore I hope the homeowner gets the death penalty. All we want to know here in Jersey is the truth not rumors...apparently the guy knew exactly who Pierre was...and if he's so innocent why didnt he call the cops afterwards to clear his name...he looks mad suspect just leaving Pierre out there for and hour and a half dead! So yea it definitely needs to be investigated more. Oh and hte homeowner apparently called someone that knew Pierre and said "Oh I killed ur friend Jersey so come get him off my lawn" Yea the call records def need to be checked...see its a lot yall dont know and the people on here trying to defend the homeowner cut it out....he knew what he was doing and he WILL pay. Pierre honey RIP and this is not goodbye its see ya later...I love u and always will!

jtmbls says:

Uh...From your very own post over at http://www.star-telegram.com/news/sto...

icyunvash wrote on 6/4/2009 11:00:10 AM:

*"Pierre unfortunately decided to live his life the wrong way these last couple of years but I know for a fact he was not trying to rob the guy"*

Nuff said.

ch0 says:

icyunvash- Sorry to break it to you, but this area of Texas is just as urban as most of New Jersey... shoulder-to-shoulder lots here. I too thought Dallas was desert and cactus, until I got here. It's not. It's a major international urban center, for real. There are parts of Jersey that are more country than Texas, although I surmise you're probably not familiar with those...

and your friend had no business in ANYONE's backyard without permission, so you cannot justify that any way, any how... Goodbye.

ch0 says:

And yes, I agree the call records should be checked. This is apparently more than just some creep trying to break in. These dudes apparently had a personal agenda with each other. Not that it would change the essential facts of the case, but it makes it a personal issue between the two involved, and not a random "dum Texan" issue.

jtmbls says:

Luv me some cho!

momzilla says:

I lived in New Jersey for a number of years. I liked Jersey, but let's just say that the state doesn't have stones to throw relating to hicks, bumpkins and others of low-rent persuasion.

jtmbls says:

LOL Jason! I was going to say nearly the same thing.

Warn all your thug friends to steer clear of the DFDUB Cause us cowboy wanna bes won't hesitate to bust a cap every chance we get!!

Nicely put mom. I aspire to one day be as tactful as you!

DyshunDurham says:

datz messed up sum old as cracker killed my cuz 4 being in his back yard. Never heard of a warning shot. being from jersey we dont shoot on property. especially noy for tresspassing. calling the police would be the right thing. but instead my little cousin cries for her daddy. his parents cry just thinking about it but because he was black its not gonna matter.

RIP big cuz gonna miss u. save a spot 4 me ill be home soon

Sadly,

Dyshun Durham of Roselle, NJ

DyshunDurham says:

and since pierre was my cuz i will mostdefinetlybring this info to his brothers atention. Its all good ima be in texas n see watz goin on with my family cuz this is fishy. n im not happy to come home and hear my cousions been shot 5 times by a shotgun. which means that cracker reloaded. Pierreisnt that big he was probably gone after the first shot. and as far as a call being made about "jersey" i will be letting authorities know"

DyshunDurham says:

i dnt give a damn wat yall country asses talking about. my cousin is dead due to some garbage and no one iss gonna pay.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

ksthill says:

I am one of Pierre's cousins' on his mother side. I came across this site looking for more info on how my cousin was murdered. Yes murdered. Make no mistake shooting someone 5 times with a shotgun OUTSIDE your home is murder. I didn't come here to debate what Pierre was doing there, because I don't know. What I want everyone to know is that this was a good kid. His mother (my aunt) grew up in my house and was like an older sister to me. He was brought up right. His brother is in college. Granted it had been some time since I hung out with Pierre, and I heard some rumors about him getting into some bad things, but this was a well liked popular kid back home in Jersey. He was a prom king, he had bit parts in some movies when he was small, he won dance competitions. My point is for all of you saying well he shouldn't have been there and I would have done the same thing, or this and that... Bull Sh*T! I have a family too. The other night my pregnant wife heard a noise from downstairs in my house. I grabbed a bat and went to look, I sure as hell didn't look to unload a 12 gauge into someone. No one knows exactly what happened that night, except that someone died. Respect the deceased and stop making assumptions and tough guy statements like "Well here in Texas...". Here's a statement, Well here in Jersey we look out for family and don't pass judgement when we don't know sh*t.

ksthill says:

Jason: Read your own story.

from your post,

"An unwanted guest forced himself into the residence and a resident responded by shooting him," Vaniska said at the scene.

Not the same as being in someone's backyard and shooting five times.

ch0 says:

What don't "yall city asses" get about "do NOT hop my fence in the middle of the night or you will meet this gun?"

Just sayin

RLTLK says:

Let it be known that the "true" neighbors living "in front" of them would never post hurtful comments/bad language/terrible grammar as posted by "Unknown." As homeowners we are disappointed in all of the unnecessary drama. Maybe this unfortunate situation could have been avoided had the participants (noted and not noted) made better choices. If anything, prayers of peace should be sent to the family of the deceased, the wife and her two small children, and others who could have possibly been involved. We don't know the full story, but it is a wonder whether or not the neighbor knew who was in the backyard because why would you leave a 2 and 4 year in the house unattended to "find" a potential intruder? It seems as if the home is on the market and they are seeking peace in an undisclosed location, but has left the neighborhood on high alert. Thanks Neighbor!

deedee87 says:

I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH PIERRE AND TRUTHFULLY I DON'T KNOW WHAT PIERRE WAS DOING IN THAT MAN'S BACKYARD BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS ACCEPTABLE FOR THE OWNER TO EMPTY FIVE ROUNDS. THAT WAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH AND NOW A TALENTED YOUNG MAN FROM ROSELLE HAS LOST HIS LIFE. EVERYTHING IN THE OWNERS STATEMENT DOESN'T ADD UP.BUT I DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY AND THE WAY THEY DO IT IN TEXAS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM HOW WE DO IT IN JERSEY. I SEND MY PRAYERS TO HIS FAMILY. IT WAS A GREAT HONOR TO HAVE KNOWN PIERRE AND GOD REST HIS SOUL.

SADIA,NJ

brezzybabii says:

R.ii.P Pierre Bull0ck... I've kn0wn pierre f0r ab0ut 10 years n0w and he was always 0ne 0f the go0d 0nes.... we attended Band and b0th played the saxaph0ne at Abraham Clark Hiigh. Pierre wasn't a Bad pers0n at all and I can't see him g0in in that gentmans backyard 4 any bad purp0se at all. If he was in the wr0ng I w0uld be the 1st 0ne 2 admiit it but I really highly d0ubt iit. Pierre and I use 2 call each0ther br0ther and sister and I really w0uld liike 2 meet his wife and my little niece and sum m0re 0f the family.... plz iif any1 sees thiis fr0m hiis family write back!!! As f0r Pierre...I miss y0u biig br0... when they say the y0ung diie y0ung they weren't leing... everyday I think 0f y0u and ur smile...ur funny but cockyness made me laugh... pretty b0y is wut I called y0u... I miss y0u s0 much and I wiish I c0uld have gave u 1 last hug...played 0n m0re s0ng and c0uld have saved u from that bullet that niight... pierre lifes n0t faiir but in all 0f y0ur friends and family y0u will live through us... were h0lding y0u d0wn everywere fr0m nj all the way 2 texas!! I l0ve y0u biig br0!!!

L0ve always Brenda aka Bree