Stop or not?

[Helo]

Assume you are walking down the street one day. You look down an alley and you see two men.

One you recognize, his face has been all over the papers and news. He's a serial rapist thats been active in the city for two weeks and has 10 victims to his name. The other man you dont recognize.

The rapist is on his knees with his hands behind his head and the other man is pointing a gun at the rapist's head. its quite obvious from the scene that the man intends to kill the rapist. Isolated location, very little possible physical evidence to be left, and a silenced weapon its very clear that the man's intention is homicidal. Probably a victim's husband or father.

Your close, close enough to do something. So what do you do?

 

[Nightson]

Assuming I could, I would stop the man from shooting him. Then take the rapist in so he can rot in jail like the piece of scum he is.

Edit: I picked the first one, but I wouldn't turn the other guy in.

 

[benjdm]

Since this is a hypothetical, if I was absolutely positive the man about to be shot was the serial rapist, I keep on walking. That is the way I voted.

In reality.....sheesh.....I can't assume this guy isn't going to turn and shoot at me, I don't walk around armed, I don't know for sure who either person is....I would try and stop the shooting verbally while ducking around the corner, I think.

 

[Mirelys]

Just keep walking, for one very obvious reason: I am small even for a girl. It's an isolated place with two violent men. Why the heck would I get in the middle of that?

 

[Ryal Kane]

I agree with Mirelys and I'm an average sized guy. Size really doesn't matter faced with a gun. The man with the gun is obviously willing to kill and is possibly willing to kill me to just for saying anything. Unless I'm in a very, very good situation to take him out in one hit, it's too dangerous. Move near by, call police.

In the case of the hypothetical, assuming that I can stop the man, I would. I would also do everything in my power to prevent the rapist getting away, including shooting to wound.

 

[""]

I picked other.

1. I don't want to get my head blown off.
I have a child that needs me and his needs outweigh the needs of both men in the alley.
2. I'm not an idiot.
I'm a woman, and I'm not about to go down and alley with 2 men I don't know, one being a serial rapist.
3. I'm incapable of diffusing this situation alone.
I have no desire to involve myself in this situation, except to possibly save the lives of both men, and the only way I can do that is to get a lot more TRAINED men and women there to handle the situation.

So... I'd call 911 on my cell, and inform them of the situation. Then I'd wait for them to arrive, but I wouldn't place myself too close to the situation.

 

[Lynden1000]

I would walk off and call police to come handle the situation. That would be the only sensible thing for me to do. I feel no obligation to get directly involved and get myself hurt or killed.

 

[CSmrw]

I realise the situation presented is far, far too simplistic to be of much real value as an ethical question, but I went ahead and voted number one. Assuming I had the means to stop the guy I ouwld have the duty to humanity to do so. No one person gets to mete out justice. Period.

 

[katautumn]

Something similar came up right here in my hometown a few months ago. A man was on the loose, suspected of raping a woman in her home. The following week, he carjacked a woman who was pulled up at a drive through ATM machine, He forced her into the passenger seat, sped off and a mile down the road he pulled over, beat her and sexually assaulted her in broad daylight in an area of heavy traffic. Everyone else simply sped by either not noticing or pretending to not notice except for one local construction worker. He saw the woman was in distress and pulled off behind the SUV. The driver sped off and the other man followed behind. The driver of the SUV ran a red light and was broadsided by a cement truck. The impact killed the woman instantly. The perpetrator got out of the SUV, armed with a gun, and went to shoot the construction worker. Recognizing this man's face from the composite sketches that had been all over our local media, he took matters into his own hands. He also carried a gun (which he was fully licensed to do so) and shot the man to death.

While police do not advocate people doing this, as it increases their risk of being hurt or killed in the process, they (and the entire town) applauded this man for his actions. He prevented this man from raping and killing anyone else. No charges were filed against the shooter and, even though the woman tragically died, her husband and family thanked the shooter for ending the nightmare that our entire town had been living.

 

[sparklecat]

I would walk off and call police to come handle the situation. That would be the only sensible thing for me to do. I feel no obligation to get directly involved and get myself hurt or killed.

Ditto.

 

[Lilly of the Valley]

I'd go to the nearest phone or public place and call the cops and get people and tell them what's going on. No way could I do anything on my own w/o getting killed. The guy w/ the gun could very easily turn the gun on me if I do something, so getting the police and others is a good choice in my opinion.

 

[PastorMikeJ]

take the gun away and shoot both of them and then go home and add the gun to your collection..

 

[justanobserver]

voted "walk away". Since I dont walk around with a gun on me evey da and the guy in the alley does have one, I aint about to play John Wayne and take him on. Yes, I am tough BUT I am not 10 foot tall and bullet proof (found that out in a bar fight with some bikers once). I am a veteran that survived a career in the military as a grunt - you dont do a bayonet charge into a machine gun nest.

I would walk way far away and then anonomously (sp?) call the cops.

 

[Rae]

Walk to the nearest phone I could use out of earshot and call the police.

 

[xAtheistx]

I don't know what you're talking about officer. This man and I were having coffee at Joe's coffee shop right down the street. We didn't hear a thing. Good luck catching the real killer.

 

[Koz]

Unless I am similarily armed I would keep walking and call the police.

 

[hernyaccent]

Walk away. I lived in a very crime ridden neighborhood when I was younger and I learned from a young age to mind my business.

 

[LouTheWicked]

I'd just keep walking... and listen for the gunshot.

 

[Moros]

Keep walkin'. None of my business.

 

[SFBUK]

I picked other.

1. I don't want to get my head blown off.
I have a child that needs me and his needs outweigh the needs of both men in the alley.
2. I'm not an idiot.
I'm a woman, and I'm not about to go down and alley with 2 men I don't know, one being a serial rapist.
3. I'm incapable of diffusing this situation alone.
I have no desire to involve myself in this situation, except to possibly save the lives of both men, and the only way I can do that is to get a lot more TRAINED men and women there to handle the situation.

So... I'd call 911 on my cell, and inform them of the situation. Then I'd wait for them to arrive, but I wouldn't place myself too close to the situation.

I'd go with this answer too!

SFB