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Resistance See other Resistance Articles Title: Woman who shot man at bus stop won't be charged Prosecutors say she acted in self-defense By SCOTT SUNDE SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM A woman who shot a man in the chest in downtown Seattle in April was acting in self-defense and won't be charged with a crime, King County prosecutors said Tuesday. The 26-year-old man was shot in the chest but rushed to Harborview Medical Center and survived his wounds. The shooting took place after a bump on a Metro bus escalated into angry words, obscene gestures, and, finally, the man charging the woman even though she showed she had a gun. Prosecutors said in the statement that that Sara Brereton, 31, "acted in defense of herself, her children and her partner" by using "her legally licensed handgun." Prosecutors gave this account of what happened: Brereton, her partner and four children got on a Metro bus on the afternoon of April 25. Emmanuel Salters was already on the bus. Salters moved to the front of bus near Brereton and stood next to her. The man swayed back and forth, then fell into Brereton. She pushed him away and said "excuse me." The two began arguing and swearing. She and her family got off the bus at Third Avenue and Seneca Street. Salters stayed on. Brereton and some of her family made obscene gestures at him. He demanded to get off the bus. He walked toward Brereton asking, "What did you say?" She told him to get away. When he was within 20 feet, she displayed her pistol. She had a concealed weapons permit. But Salters kept coming, getting to within a foot or two of her. He started spitting at her. Brereton shot him once in the chest. Seattlepi.com reported in April that an FBI agent who happened to be on the scene took Brereton into custody until police arrived. She was jailed for two days, then released. Prosecutors say she cooperated with police. Witnesses backed up her version of events and what a Metro surveillance camera caught on video. Salters gave a different version of events, saying he didn't charge Brereton but was running to catch another bus. Prosecutors concluded that she acted within the law. The statement released Tuesday said that "there is strong evidence in this case that she reasonably believed under the facts and circumstances known to her at the time that Salters was about to injure her. Salters was a stranger, who in an angry state, charged at her. He did not stop when she displayed her gun. Instead he continued to advance on her, getting within one or two feet. She waited to fire until the last possible moment before she could have been assaulted herself. Although she may have made obscene gestures, she did not initiate the physical confrontation. However, Mr. Salters did by charging at her." Prosecutors said she didn't use unnecessary force and brandished her weapon to stop Salters. "Under state law, Brereton has no duty to retreat. She can reasonably take into account her inability to use her gun to defend herself if Salters got close enough to physically assault her and be concerned that she could lose the gun in a struggle."
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#1. To: Prefrontal Vortex (#0)
She should have pulled the trigger several more times.
Why would this woman claim to be applying self-defense when she escalated the incident with the hand and mouth gestures after getting off the bus in the first place? She should have just gotten off the bus and kept going and ignored the fruitcake. Her use of gestures and such is considered an invitation for a confrontation by the assailant to take place. It will be quite interesting to see how this turns out.
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