A Texas man was surprised to find himself in handcuffs after he thwarted a kidnapping attempt by unleashing a barrage of bullets at the attackers.
When Jeremiah Morin, 35, of Spring, Texas, saw two masked kidnappers trying to snatch his fiance in the driveway of their Houston-area home, he drew his pistol and fired several shots at the men, causing them to flee.
Montgomery Country sheriff’s officers who responded to the incident arrested Morin, not the would-be kidnappers, for third-degree felony of “deadly conduct,” the Dallas Morning News reported. Officers said he had fired his weapon “in a complete disregard and reckless manner” and without consideration of whether there were innocent bystanders in nearby cars or houses.
Morin and his fiance, Angela Estrada, were upset that police determined he was the one who committed a crime during the attempted kidnapping.
“It’s a humiliating, embarrassing feeling because even my neighbors were saying, ‘Why are they taking him to jail when he saved her life?'” Estrada told local TV station KTRK.
Police had a different take on Morin’s actions. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Capt. Bryan Carlisle acknowledged that “nefarious stuff was going to happen” but said that Morin endangered others in the neighborhood with his reckless shooting.
“He began to indiscriminately shoot multiple rounds down the street,” Carlisle told the Houston Chronicle.”These rounds definitely went down a very crowded street.”
Morin denied police accusations that he is a member of a local gang and told KTRK that he has rejected the criminal life since serving time on a drug charge a decade ago. In a public statement, the Montgomery Country Sheriff’s Office said Morin and Estrada were uncooperative with investigators at the scene.
“The victim and Morin refused to complete statements or file charges against anyone involved in the incident,” the sheriff’s office said. “Furthermore, the victim and Morin became upset with neighbors for notifying law enforcement about the shooting. It should be noted that neither the victim nor Morin contacted law enforcement about the incident.”
Morin said he refused to cooperate with police because of the way they treated him and Estrada.
“Why would I cooperate when they come in my house, not asking about the suspects but being rude, cussing at us?” Morin said to KTRK.
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