Court Opinion

ID: 9740187
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:29:35.167978+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:16.687194
License: Public Domain

D. C. Riley, J.,
(concurring). I concur substantially with the excellent opinion written by Judge Bronson. However, I write separately to acknowledge what I perceive to be the trial court’s reluctance to endorse uncontrolled vigilantism. While I am persuaded that "fresh pursuit” is not required under Michigan law, I am equally persuaded that "delayed pursuit” is a mischaracterization of the facts here. Further, I question whether "fresh pursuit” or "delayed pursuit” is even the issue where, as here, the felon is known to the complainant, police and to defendant (who has told police he will kill felon if he finds him before arrest). The facts here are simply not supportive of a shooting "justified” to prevent a fleeing felon’s escape.
I urge that we consider judicial adoption of limits upon a citizen’s authority to use deadly force in situations such as this, i.e., deadly force is justifiable only where necessary to prevent the flight of an escaping felon and that once the felon successfully leaves the scene of the crime there is no longer the compelling (justifiable) need for a citizen to hunt the felon down, prepared to use deadly force.
I stress again, this felon’s identity was known to the police and they were the proper instrumentality to effect the arrest. This is not a case, for example, where an escaped felon, known only to the victim on sight, is seen on the street and (delayed) pursuit ensues.