Quote Originally Posted by MMI View Post
I don't know anything about the circumstances of the person killed by a bullet fired into the air some 3 km away, but in this country I think the coroner would have to return a verdict of accidental death.

I don't think he could say the man was unlawfully killed because there was no intention to kill, nor was it reasonably foreseeable that someone would be killed. I don't even think you could say that the shooter fired recklessly, without caring whether or not someone would be killed, because it would not be within anyone's reasonable contemplation that there could be someone standing precisely where the bullet would land, so far away.
I'm not so sure about that. Regardless of his intent, his actions were reckless at best. An example can be taken from automobile accidents. A person driving responsibly, obeying the traffic laws and showing due care, would not be held responsible for someone stepping out in front of his car and being killed. A person driving at excessive speed and weaving in and out of traffic probably would. By violating the rules of safe driving he puts others at risk.

The same should apply here. If the shooter had been practicing at a range, for example, and a stray bullet killed someone, chances are it's a tragic accident. But firing a bullet into the air is reckless and a danger to the public. The person responsible should be charged with involuntary manslaughter, at least, and reckless endangerment. And there's a good chance that, even if he manages to avoid jail time, he'll be the subject of a civil suit by the victim's family.