A Florida man who shot and killed his son-in-law who jumped out of a bush to surprise him for his birthday will not face criminal charges, authorities said.
“At 11:30, Mr. Dennis hears the same type of banging on the back door that he heard on the front door earlier,” the sheriff said. “So he turns on the back porch light, he steps out and Mr. Bergan jumps out of the shadows, scaring Mr. Dennis.”
As a former shooting instructor I can't believe how many steps this guy skipped. Between drawing your weapon and shooting you have to identify your target, verbally warn target, aim at target, and then only after all that has failed to stop the threat do you actually fire. Smdh
It is so big loss for the father in law .usually we are startled when we get scared but to draw a gun and shoot is not accepted unless we have a warning that the place is infested with wild animals .not an excuse. Looks every home likes to keep a weapon .are we in a war zone
really? how long did it take him to draw and fire?
It's Florida where murder is legal, right Georgia Zimmermann?
Who killed the son in law.. the gun or the father in law... Sad for all.
Did he just happen to have a gun in his hands ? What was the reaction time , did he not recognize him I'm sorry but he should bare some responsibility, he killed someone
He answered the door with a gun in his hand?
Next time someone in traffic honks their horn at me and scares me......
We really need to get more guns in the hands of citizens at this point. This tragedy could have been avoided if the son in law was also armed and reacted quickly enough.
Note to Self! No jumping out at Father in law with a gun! Would that not of been ones first thought?
We think so
aren't guns just dandy?
Stupid guns!!
The saddest thing I’ve ever heard!!
Why did the old man have his gun beside him as he sits in his garden?
Do a complete investigation of the incident before dropping any criminal charges.
The Florida man did a cowardly act. He's going to have to live knowing he is a coward and killed his daughter's husband because he is a coward.
BTRTSR Florida Man, you cant stop him, you can only hope to contain him......AND STOP HIM FROM BREEDING !!!!!!!
Like my boss says - understand your audience before the presentation!
WITHOUT concealed carry the son-in-law would still be alive.
If he shot an undercover Police Office stepping out of the bush would he have been charged? No difference between human lives. It's either a crime or it isn't. The horrible tragedy aspect of it doesn't change any underlying crime.
All his life he can see that look on his daughter’s face when he told her he killed her husband.
Hmmmm why not? Oops..amber was an oops?
Good guy with a gun?
WTF Florida?
So it’s ok to kill a person bc they startled you. It’s not even negligence. There are zero consequences when you chose to carry a dangerous weapon and murder someone who didn’t actually pose a threat to you. (SiL wasn’t going to harm him.. but got shot anyway)
Well, mission accomplished on the surprise.
Hey, person I have a life insurance policy on. Go scare my dad. It’ll be fun.
Good guy with a gun. What could go wrong?
Good guy with a gun murders a guy. The end.
No, he should still be prosecuted. What a feeble excuse.
This why Florida deserves every hurricane that comes their way
He should be locked up Carrying a gun doesnt mean whatever startles u you have the right to kill. The point that says what if the nephew had a gun is weak. If so did the gun holder would be dead bcuz its 2 late to reach. Think if u cant leave gun at home.
🙏🙏🙏
It's never once in my 50 year life, occurred to me to answer my door with a loaded gun in my hand. Regardless of the time.
Give a gun to a scary muthafucka what yall think gon happen
I thought that most times you kill someone,even in accidental situations, there are charges.
whyfund Dear god! I can’t even imagine when will AMERICIA stop with the guns
Guns are Dangerous! Nobody should need to carry!! GunSense
Oh let’s all carry guns they say! Brilliant.........
Is Florida that 'crime ridden' that citizens 'HAVE' to carry a gun at all times? And are they that much on edge waiting to become a victim ? Seriously?!
Maybe this is a good reason why everyone should not have guns!!
Such a sad tragedy with no intent of malice on either side. I hope peace finds its way into the hearts of all effected.
So he was ready to kill?
Another Gun tragedy in the 'Gunshine State'. Lack of law allows him to get away with murdering his son in law.
What if son in law had grand baby in arms? People are gun freaking crazy! Tragic.
Feel bad for the family but this ain’t the first time shit like this happened. And of course, the liberal fuckwads will blame the guns.
toddschnitt Did you hear about this story?
His gun was a bit too handy.
Yeah, but don’t you have to be in eminent fear for your life?
Another responsible gun owner
Thanks for the tipp
This is insanity. You draw a gun, you face the consequences.
Shoot First Ask Questions Latter. FLORIDA
There is no punishment on God's green earth that could possibly punish this man more than he will himself for the rest of his life.😢 I knew someone that accidentally shot his life long best friend and he was tortured from that day on until he committed suicide.😢
The police is so Naive, they call it accident, they have not check what kind of life insurance the victiim coul have.
Sad crime and mass shooting has people shooting first asking questions later.
And this is exactly what we all were waiting to happen one day. Just don’t scare gun holders ever.
Bullshit. Florida the Trigger Happy State
Fear --- and a man with a gun .
THIS IS VILE, DISGUSTING AND EVIL.
OOPS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
He shot the person who turned out to be his son in law on purpose. There are no 'accidental' shootings. Gunz.
What I don't understand is earlier a RELATIVE banged on the front door and he ran him off. So when it happened again he got a gun?
Just another well-trained armed citizen, I feel bad for the guy but people have to be responsible for their actions.
If his son in law was carrying a gun he could of shot back.
This is someone that shouldnt be carring a weapon
Yup. And they say we need more guns. Stop this madness
Florida man is a threat to mankind, change my mind
choptopmoseley Stand your ground law at its worst!!
I hope this father-in-law gets a lot of comfort from his gun.
That family is forever devastated. So sad. Kill first, ask questions later. I guess his neighborhood is like Afghanistan.
People in Florida just walk around with their guns in their hands, just shooting everything? Sounds like a bunch of BS.
both men were reckless...however one was just being a prankster. the other answered the door with a loaded gun. this kind of irrational fear emboldening gun owners is ridiculous. manslaughter charge could be a real teaching moment here. instead, thoughts & prayers.
You can kill in Florida for just about anything
Keep playing with your guns...
must be white.....same lady in florida was sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot.....
No gun problem in America
Apparently, stupidity is not a crime. One can derive a racial comparison here.
Defines the state
Something about this story doesn’t sound right. Maybe it is just me, though. 🤔
Hey Florida, Your Florida is showing again!
Thank goodness for a good guy with a gun. Who knows how many more people would have been surprised by this lunatic on a jumping out of a bush rampage.
That’s because they all have guns attached to their hips
Well maybe he shouldn't carry a gun, if he get startle and his 1st reaction is to blast his way out!. Also The son in law definitely should have used better judgment, jumping out of a bush, should be the last place to surprise a birthday boy
This type of accident will increase as Donald Trump turns America into a Lawless Country, where everyone will need to carry a gun for protection. I am a Gun Owner and believe in the 2nd Amendment, but we must not allow Trump to turn America into the Wild West!
I am almost willing to bet that this decision to not prosecute will be overturned. This is a bullshit use of 'Stand Your Ground' & more of an excuse for an IRRESPONSIBLE gun owner overreacting.
Yup... guns are such a great idea aren’t they. Yeesh.
What a sad sad thing to happen. It should have been a joyous occasion. If you do own a gun, be sure you know what you are doing with it and act responsibly. Please.
Not sure the Norwegians are going to like this.
Gonna make for awkward family gatherings
Sad😔😔
At least take away all his guns.
We too easily excuse murder. This old man should have called out. Who is It?! If no one answers, say I will call the police if you don't identify yourself. Then call the police if they don't. Please tell children on Halloween to steer clear of that mad man's house.
That's just what happens when people carry around guns. No worries.
Starting to make sense to me now
My father is a kindest one, but loud sometimes.
Florida, ban the bushes! 😎
Don't forget to protect yourself when pranking geezers.
Damn that must be the devil home of residence .
Sounds about white.
Imagine kids running around on Holloween.
Well this guy would not be someone I would not want to go to a haunted house with that is for sure. Especially if I am the one who is supposed to scare the other people.
Why bother with laws then?
Guns kill people.
Florida.
“Totally accidental”? The trigger was pulled intentionally, he intended to kill the person, it was not “an accident”. This is manslaughter.
با این وجود این همه سلاح ونبود قانون برای کنترل ان است
Florida and your stupid guns. It’s never bad enough is it?
USA normalizing accidental killings.
That Florida man probably had PTSD, and/or was concerned for his life. He carried the gun in self defense, and used the weapon for that exact purpose. Don’t infringe on his 2nd amendment rights. Condolences to the family. At least the man won’t be in jail for his birthday.
That's the wrong legal and criminal response. That's criminally negligent homicide. And still more proof that easy access to guns is a problem.
When you push for “shoot first ask questions later” which seems to be the new norm in places like Florida and Texas, you get shit like this.
But Thanksgiving is gonna be super awkward!
Really? It is called negligent homicide.
I think a lot of gun advocates engage in hero fantasies in which they repel home invaders or stop some criminal mastermind. This is the other side of that coin.
What a tragedy. American gun culture is to blame for this. His family will never be the same.
Stood his ground,Great Job.
Only with guns.
Knock knock. Whos there? SURP..BANG!
Welcome to Florida.
Wow that didn’t turn out well🙏🏾
Sounds like the father in law should have not owned a firearm. If your first instinct is to fire a weapon then you are way to mentally incapable of owning said weapon. Period.
In Florida shooting a boy going home from the store is lawful so you know that shooting goofy in-laws is totally legal.
Wow. He just happen to have a gun at that instant. Huh. IdiotsWithGuns
But this was manslaughter, no?
I find this funny even though I shouldn’t. I can totally picture myself being shot because I pull this kind of crap all of the time.
Florida is an independent country.
Part of the well regulated militia. Just another gun related tragedy. Move on to the next one
This is why you need extensive training before obtaining a firearm
Cover Iraq protests نازل_اخذ_حقي save_the_lraqi_people العراق_ينتفض IraqProtests
Too many Johnny Ringo's
Only in Florida...
Oh man...that's a tragedy.
People are too quick to shoot. I would never trust someone with a gun and I grew up with a father and brother who owned guns. I was also in the military. These gun owners need to take a class on gun ownership.
I knew when I read “A Florida man” it was going to be crazy on display.
But yeah, let’s arm everyone so we will all be safer.
Oh Wow! Crazy shits going on all around.
Surprise ! Its florida
Trayvon’s karma
DO NOT TRY TO CURE HICCUPS IN FLA
Don't you have to 'reasonably' believe your life is in danger. A terrible call.
bushwhacked
Please throw him another party and have his daughter pull the surprise this time around, sometimes guns take out their own!!
Statistics show that he/she who owns a gun is likely to shoot a member of his/her own family. Until this sort of tragedy occurs everybody thinks owning a gun is real deal..
When you have three hundred millions guns including machine guns in US ,you will have a lot of dead bodies piling up ! What a Wild West Country 😳🙄
Wonder how his daughter feels about her dad being a gun happy pop tart these cupcakes need there guns cause they can’t fight like a man.I might have punched dude in his mouth but never would have shot him , but I’m not a cupcake🧁 pop tart coward that needs a gun to handle things
Gun happy douchbags so scared these days there lil coochis and scared to fight like a man so they got shoot first ...
😯
Couldn't happen in Japan.
W T F Just let this sink in America . A guy surprises his father in law, who, in response, shoots him dead ! Innocent unarmed man shot dead & NO CHARGES !! This is a green light to shoot anybody, at any time, and justify it by saying ' hey, they surprised me what did you expect'
Good Lord! Never throw this fool another birthday party! Add surprise birthday parties to the growing list of activists you can’t do bc of guns. Minimally, this is involuntary manslaughter. sn: no Halloween pranks in Florida!
smh
How does his daughter feel about this? What if it had been her?
I’m glad I live in Canada. We don’t carry guns.
You didn’t have to say A Florida man for us to know this had to have taken place in Florida
Omg how horrible 😔
So sad it was to be happy not the end.
How is this different than the white police officer who shot her black neighbor by accident?
Great. Just Great.
Reading the headline makes me wonder was father in law walking around with loaded gun, cocked and ready to shoot; because that must've been a quick draw if it wasn't holstered
Gun in hand? How convenient is that?
Florida the state has gone off the rails.
Was the killer white or black? How about the son-in-law? Just curious 😐
I’m so sorry to hear about the outcome but who does that?
People in Florida are insane
Terrible. A surprise like that probably wasn’t the best idea but still a tragic result
This can only happen in our country. I can't blame the shooter for feeling threatened. But I blame realDonaldTrump senatemajldr and the NRA for providing the weapons that can turn a case of bad humor into an outright tragedy.
There’s your stand your ground law at work. Idiots
Bet I know what flavor he is!
guns nra
Rule 1: Never try to surprise a Florida man
All states in America must be govern under one Judicial law Period. Going to another state from where you reside is like going to another country. The constitution is written for entire nation not for each state pretending to follow but having their own laws it’s bullshit.
If your father in law carries ....
Wait a minute......aren't people who cause car crashes charged with manslaugher? A pregnant woman who started a FIGHT that resulted in a gun wound to the stomach & loss of a viable fetus was charged w manslaughter but charges were eventually dropped.
You believed that shit? Well good thing there some precedent so if I ever have a daughter and that son-in-law needs to go... Hey son cmon over, woops you scarred me! Maybe IQ test and fear reaction test should be a thing.
Yeah. Everybody needs a gun.
Well remind me not to do that
When you build a society on fear that everyone is trying to kill you, this is the result.
If the old fucker didn't have a gun, his son in law would be alive, fucker would have been scared, they would have had a good laugh and would be having beers. If he didn't have a gun . . .
How could the SIL think it was a good idea to jump out of a bush at someone he knows to be armed?
Most people still are not competent and not disciplined enough to use guns for protection. You DO NOT fire unless you know the threat is REAL. He's an idiot for firing and why you are more likely to kill a loved one than a real intruder. CNN
Did he knock?
Florida man strikes again
Surely it's manslaughter?
still, might make it harder to get sons-in-law.
This is why ALL guns need to be banned!
Man thanksgiving’s gonna be awkward
Oh, because he stood his ground? 😂😂 Florida needs to go away
Poor kid
This is ridiculous, we have a real problem in this State with people shooting first and asking questions later. He should be charged with manslaughter....because he didn't take a second to recognize it was a family member before he killed the unarmed person.
Murica
How very Florida.
In this country many people think the right to bear arms is an obligation to carry them all the time. And worst, to use them!
Florida man strikes again. 🤦🏿♂️
Another responsible gun owner?
Now that’s an accident.. what that police woman did to the black man who was watching tv wasn’t. Ps she beat the system with her lies. She knew the guy.
Good guy with a gun
a_fly_guy ONLY IN THE USA
Thank goodness I don’t live in Florida.
afloridaman
People don’t use guns properly this is a tragedy
Wow!
Just another good guy with a gun.
Why not, b/c he 'stood his ground?' 🙄
Accidental or not, he physically shot & killed someone that didn't have a weapon. Let me understand this.. An officer of the law recently entered the wrong apt., fatally shot someone by mistake & she's going to serve 10 yrs min, but this guy gets off the hook? STRICTER gunlaws !
'a horrible accident'? It was a purposeful shooting. The accident was that he didn't know it was a loved one. Determining when to draw & discharge is not a series of events that happens to us, it's one we decide. Discussing it in alternate terms is a disservice to gun reality
Trigger happy much?
Only in Florida
Florida man is at it again.. never a dull moment!!
How about banning him from ever owning a gun again? What the fuck was he doing wandering around with a fucking loaded gun and his finger on the trigger
Only in Florida
Hey kids! Don't go trick or treating at Florida man's house.
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