Hostage situation

[Bluewolf]

Ok this will be going by the British law system for reference.

An armed gunman has taken 5 people hostage (tied up and gagged) and is holding them in a house. A person nearby finds out this and calls the police, giving street name, house number etc. The person also sees the side door into the back garden is loose and manages to get in around that. The hostage taker and the hostage taker are in the living room. The other person makes his way into the living room and starts telling the hostage taker to put down his weapon, saying that he does not have the nerve to shoot and sshould give up. The hostage taker says to get back otherwise he will kille the hostages (lets assume for this sconario that he does not just shoot the other person). The other person does not listen, repeating the same things and coming closer. Finally the hostage taker snaps and kills all 5 hostages before shooting himself. The question is:

1. Would the other person be changed for anything for his actions and what?

2. What would be the likley public reaction to the other guy and his reactions?

[General Zod]

1. Would the other person be changed for anything for his actions and what?

I could see multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Involuntary manslaughter (which includes negligent manslaughter) is the crime that results from a death that occurs despite a lack of intent to kill. British and American criminal law differentiates between various crimes based on mens rea (criminal intent), and involuntary manslaughter is generally associated with a level of negligent mens rea. While specifics of negligence may vary from one jurisdiction to another, it is generally defined as failure to exercise a reasonable level of precaution given the circumstances.

2. What would be the likley public reaction to the other guy and his reactions?

I'd be highly surprised if it were anything but massively negative.

[Zixinus]

1. Would the other person be changed for anything for his actions and what?

I am pretty sure that he should be. There is a good reason why there are special squads and people for situations like this.

I am equally sure that he is somehow accountable.

2. What would be the likley public reaction to the other guy and his reactions?

Headlines: "Idiot who thought he was a hero."

[Count Chocula]

My guess is the guy would be vilified and, given this is in Britain, at a minimum charged with vigilantism and illegal trespass.

In America, the guy would be mocked, ridiculed, threatened, sued and harassed into poverty and obscurity....imagine the party that Fox News would have with such a non-police epic fail!

[RIPP_n_WIPE]

He'd most definitely get slapped with negligence and manslaughter in a criminal court for EVERYONE (including the shooter). In america the families of the victims (also including thes shooter) would sue his ass SO badly in civil court (OJ won criminal but lost civil) that he'd be in prison and impoverished the rest of his life.

Honestly he'd be much better off killing or disabling the gunman. Sure he'd be sued by the shooters family (maybe by the hostages if they were traumatized by the shooters death/disablement) but depending on local conditions he would at least get some dude saying he's a hero.

[General Zod]

Honestly he'd be much better off killing or disabling the gunman. Sure he'd be sued by the shooters family (maybe by the hostages if they were traumatized by the shooters death/disablement) but depending on local conditions he would at least get some dude saying he's a hero.

He'd be much better off not doing anything at all and waiting for the police to handle it. Hostage situations are not something untrained civilians have any business doing anything about.

[Sea Skimmer]

If he gets the hostages killed he’d defiantly being seeing jail time, and rightly so. Civil suits alone would destroy his life.. Also, even if it he took gunman by surprise and killed him, saving everyone, he’d still see jail because you are not allowed to just whip out a gun and go into another house when you are not directly threatened. You can use a firearm to defend people around you, but that’s just not going to count when a completely separate building is involved.

If he gets the hostages killed he’d defiantly being seeing jail time, and rightly so. Civil suits alone would destroy his life.. Also, even if it he took gunman by surprise and killed him, saving everyone, he’d still see jail because you are not allowed to just whip out a gun and go into another house when you are not directly threatened. You can use a firearm to defend people around you, but that’s just not going to count when a completely separate building s involved.

The proper thing to do would be to call the cops, tell them the full situation so they don’t just walk right up to the house and spark a gun battle, and then continue to discreetly observe the situation from a distance and pass on anything you might notice to them when they arrive.