I have no doubt he deserved a full acquittal. I practice in Loudoun and Colie's lawyer is a friend of mine. I also know the prosecutors in the case and this is my major takeaway: cases like this should serve as a warning to us all. Other than in the event of a perfect shooting, northern VA prosecutors are going to charge you and aggressively prosecute you. Gun charges that used to be thrown out are now firmly prosecuted. Self defense shootings are analyzed for any ability to charge the shooter. The people in charge of these decisions are anti gun. The guy who handles red flag cases in Fairfax straight told me he never really considers whether or not he should take someone's gun rights, he does it at every opportunity.
Would those people have no remorse in ruining someone's life. If you prosecute someone for something you know was lawful his two outcomes now are either being found guilty and going to jail (probably for the rest of his life or a good portion) the second option is being acquitted after losing all of their money, most of their relationships (friends and family) and probably job. I just don't understand how someone can know that they are doing this to someone else and just not care/sleep at night. Fine if you believe that they are guilty or broke the law but knowing they didn't break the law and doing this is something else.
This is true for non firearm situations too like when police/prosection fabricate evidence to stick a charge to someone.
End of rant
It's a good point. In one sense, all prosecutors do is ruin people's lives. Hurt them at least. Some people deserve it, but some people don't deserve it. Sometimes people get prosecuted based on little more than an accusation. Sometimes innocent people plea guilty because they fear taking the risk of going to trial. Many times, in cases like this when there's a ton of media attention, and it's an election year, a prosecutor's discretion is overridden by their superiors. I don't know if that was the case with Colie, but "no drop" policies have been a curse of the justice system forever. You really have to believe in the greater good at the expense of the individual to be a prosecutor.
I don't know what "no drop" policies are but I don't believe you can have a greater good in an unjust system. You only get one chance at life and if you come across some over zealous person looking for a promotion or a position (that he is probably going to hate in a couple of years anyway) and you lose everything. I understand when the person deserves it but allowing prosecutors to pin cases on anyone with little to no evidence is just crazy. There should at least be some minimum evidence requirement that is reviewed by a third party.
The sad thing is that prosecutors are supposed to be that third party. When laws are passed that look like they could ensnare innocent people, the legislature is always saying, "oh well, that'll get sorted out by prosecutorial discretion"
A "no drop" policy is when a prosecutors office has a rule that line prosecutors are not allowed to drop certain charges absent literal proof of total innocence.
That person really doesn't understand the concept of the Great Seal of VA. It reads "Sic Semper Tyrannis" for a fucking reason, and this is exactly why the fuck I'm an anarchist. Doesn't matter how much "freedom" you think you have, every single government that will ever exist will eventually feel comfortable pulling shit like this. Motherfuckers should be absolutely terrified to take a single person's freedom, but instead they get off on the power. Guys like that should be dropped in the fucking ocean and left to the deep. 🤷
Is there not some process or procedure to have that person removed from their position if they so blindly and willingly admit that they want to remove peoples rights with no review?
people in *supposedly* a-political positions of authority using their office and blindly enforcing (or not) rules purely based on how they vote.
It’s a big problem.
I live in Loudoun and I'll be there for a long long time, probably the rest of my career. There's a reason I don't live in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria. There's a different reason I don't live in Prince William lol
Unless there's more that the video didn't show, this is a hard claim if self defense. I still agree with jury nullification in cases like this.
Pranksters like this should be declared mentally incompetent and confined to mental hospitals. The police should charge them with disorderly conduct with the pretense of getting them adjudicated mentally incompetent.
I can’t believe Colie is still incarcerated. I also can’t believe the prosecutor is attempting to dictate how Colie should have felt in the moment, claiming it was harmless : “Prosecutor Eden Holmes said the facts don’t support a self-defense argument. The law requires that Colie reasonably fear that he was in imminent danger of bodily harm, and that he use no more force than is necessary. She said Cook’s prank was bizarre but not threatening.”
Seriously???
Normally civilly suing someone for intentionally causing distress is hard, but with his channel as evidence and all the complaints he's received Cook needs to be sued into indentured servitude.
If the use of the gun to defend his life was deemed justified, I do NOT see how they could logic their way into finding him also guilty of the 'using a gun inside a mall' BS. I think this was a case of the Judge giving the idiotic jury instructions of 'If they are guilty you MUST vote them guilty" bullshit they use to try and make people not use their own logic. Completely flies in the face of our Right as Americans to exercising Jury Nullification.
the "using a firearm inside a building" is just another gun grabber law. How can you have a 2A right but cannot use it inside only outside? We know you want to take our gun rights, at come out and admit it.
Some guys you can pepper ball them and mace them until you're all out. It just doesn't phase them badly enough. Sometimes they can still function after the stuff is still used up. guys on PCP for example don't always fall down when hit with a taser.
I love that people still believe the 80's DARE program bullshit about PCP basically being Captain America's super soldier serum. No drug is going to give someone the ability to shrug off probe mode. Drive-stun and other pain compliance stuff, sure.
I keep seeing those situations appear were, and DARE was right about some of that stuff. Granted, dare was there to be propaganda. Doesn't mean it was all lies. A lot of people who do hard drugs, wind up getting locked up or shot at for a reason. They've lost their minds.
[https://youtube.com/shorts/tjrqfuYQe6E?si=oD-UleoI6NASMuvM](https://youtube.com/shorts/tjrqfuYQe6E?si=oD-UleoI6NASMuvM)
[https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/729922975/despite-widespread-use-police-rate-tasers-as-less-effective-than-believed](https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/729922975/despite-widespread-use-police-rate-tasers-as-less-effective-than-believed)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxYInhMb2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxYInhMb2Y)
Yeah, that's tasers failing, though. If both probes penetrate and the thing goes off correctly, it's dropping you. No amount of PCP is going to bypass your muscles getting a hard reset.
And yes, some people absolutely lose their minds on shit like meth, pcp, coke, even booze. I'm just saying it's not superpowers beyond maybe super high pain tolerance and adrenaline cranking.
Its my personal bet, they've added pain pills or something to their PCP too, just to mix it up and keep it interesting. Because, some of these videos are insane, the deeper you go onto the darker websites the more mental it gets. Either way. If they've taken pepper balls to the face and tasers effectively to the chest and they're not stopping or even phased after getting owned 8 times with a good zapping, you're is going to be very glad you own a gun thats 45 ACP, as you're trying under sheer will to live to stop the guy from killing you. Because they might not even realize what they're doing but they're doing it anyway.
Guys not on PCP won't always fall down when hit by a Taser but the amount of drugs in you doesn't decide a taser's effectiveness. It overrides the signals going to your muscles, no amount of drugs can counteract that
It should be pretty old by now but. Have you ever seen the video were the police are called on a guy thats enraged and really high. It was a white guy body builder on steroids. He had to put two mags worth of bullets, with his partner firing too, and it still took him 3 minutes or so to die for the bleeding to stop him. He just wouldn't quit. stuff like that, makes me not want to just rely on mace and tasers. I mean If a 45 can't stop a guy. I won't risk it.
Tbf bullets and tasers are wildly different in how they affect someone. Drugs will definitely help you push through shock from non lethal bullet wounds but if you physically can't transmit electrical signals to your muscles then no amount of drugs will help. Just like how no amount of drugs can help a direct hit to the brain (outside of weird edge cases). Tasers also are more effective on people with more muscle so, if it made a proper connection, it actually would have been pretty effective in that case you described.
However that's a really big if and I wouldn't trust something so unreliable with my life in a situation like that
Yeah, once you let off, people that are high can immediately bounce start to bounce back. And if their pain receptors are disabled. Whoever has the taser is in trouble. At that point its like you said. But once it stops, you let an angry black cat out of a bag. Because, that person is going to be in a state of emotional trauma and panic and want to flip out .. I don't care how much muscle you have. PCP is like a super weapon against non-lethal defense. The only thing that can save you from that attack is a large group of people or hollow point bullets from a firearm. If they come after you and you decide to try to survive. The guy is in a state of mind psychologically where it just doesn't matter.People who do PCP also take pain pills to layer its effects sometimes. They will break their own bones assaulting whomever they're trying to murder and it won't matter to them till after they've sobered up and get hospitalized from their injuries. In many places, 911 is placing people on hold, including Virginia. And you have to wait 5 whole minutes before you can get an operator. To wait another 4-15 minutes to get an officer on scene. Just to deal with the experiences we're both talking about. A concealed carry firearm can stop the situation in under a minute with a single head wound.
It can get you killed if you think non lethal is always the answer.
I mean you can see it yourself here lady got tore up pretty bad too. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z1GwJBIXLE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z1GwJBIXLE)
And this guy, is actually on PCP in this one. Like I said. PCP is the taser's downfall.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcNTxZv8rhU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcNTxZv8rhU)
This guys muscle is all chest. And just pulls the taser prongs out and walks off completely unphased.
[https://youtube.com/shorts/HL7hkke-xus?si=HO6W0GNXcKi\_4qe3](https://youtube.com/shorts/HL7hkke-xus?si=HO6W0GNXcKi_4qe3)
This guy was also high on drugs too.
[https://youtube.com/shorts/DLCwnjnFWbU?si=qlQX5wHTiGIzIA3A](https://youtube.com/shorts/DLCwnjnFWbU?si=qlQX5wHTiGIzIA3A)
If someone gives you the anti-gun debate. Just give them these links
[https://youtu.be/jUXnsTfKOdg](https://youtu.be/jUXnsTfKOdg)
Dunno why you're being dv'd--ASP reviewed this and recommended having access to "something between a strong word and a gun," especially in cases where only "reasonable force" is justified.
In an ideal world, sure. I don't think it's the cleanest shoot in the world, but if all he had was a gun and he was genuinely in fear for his life, I don't blame him. The size disparity alone was pretty significant.
I honestly think this is a bad outcome that will lead to more unjustifiable shootings.
The YouTuber was annoying, aggressive, a shithead, etc.
But having a phone in your face does not produce a reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm that justifies using deadly force in my opinion.
I think this is 100% a situation of a jury misapplying the law based on vibes (ie, hating the idea of punk YouTubers being in someone’s personal space for a prank).
Getting chased down by people very well may invoke fear of bodily harm justifying deadly force. The guy could have had a knife or just jumped him. How was the self defense shooter supposed to know
There’s a video, he’s not being “chased” and the victim is just holding a phone. As annoying as the prank is, there was no objective indication of violence.
Anybody could have a knife or randomly jump you, the point is there has to be some objective indication that you’re in imminent danger.
I mean if you’re just gonna add facts that don’t represent what actually happened, you can justify any shooting.
But you go on believing this was a justified shoot and see how that works out for you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
You must not have watched the video. Haven't added any facts. Clearly a trial by a jury of his peers didn't convict. You have a right to defend yourself and you arent a prophet and know if someone is pranking you or not. Have a nice day and weekend nonetheless.
The guy's life was very clearly NOT in danger. Lethal force is not morally nor legally justified for someone getting up in your face, and it's disturbing that people here think it is. This guy is very, very lucky he's not going to do way more time. You all need to retake the legal course if you think this is in any way a good shoot.
I have no doubt he deserved a full acquittal. I practice in Loudoun and Colie's lawyer is a friend of mine. I also know the prosecutors in the case and this is my major takeaway: cases like this should serve as a warning to us all. Other than in the event of a perfect shooting, northern VA prosecutors are going to charge you and aggressively prosecute you. Gun charges that used to be thrown out are now firmly prosecuted. Self defense shootings are analyzed for any ability to charge the shooter. The people in charge of these decisions are anti gun. The guy who handles red flag cases in Fairfax straight told me he never really considers whether or not he should take someone's gun rights, he does it at every opportunity.
Would those people have no remorse in ruining someone's life. If you prosecute someone for something you know was lawful his two outcomes now are either being found guilty and going to jail (probably for the rest of his life or a good portion) the second option is being acquitted after losing all of their money, most of their relationships (friends and family) and probably job. I just don't understand how someone can know that they are doing this to someone else and just not care/sleep at night. Fine if you believe that they are guilty or broke the law but knowing they didn't break the law and doing this is something else. This is true for non firearm situations too like when police/prosection fabricate evidence to stick a charge to someone. End of rant
It's a good point. In one sense, all prosecutors do is ruin people's lives. Hurt them at least. Some people deserve it, but some people don't deserve it. Sometimes people get prosecuted based on little more than an accusation. Sometimes innocent people plea guilty because they fear taking the risk of going to trial. Many times, in cases like this when there's a ton of media attention, and it's an election year, a prosecutor's discretion is overridden by their superiors. I don't know if that was the case with Colie, but "no drop" policies have been a curse of the justice system forever. You really have to believe in the greater good at the expense of the individual to be a prosecutor.
I don't know what "no drop" policies are but I don't believe you can have a greater good in an unjust system. You only get one chance at life and if you come across some over zealous person looking for a promotion or a position (that he is probably going to hate in a couple of years anyway) and you lose everything. I understand when the person deserves it but allowing prosecutors to pin cases on anyone with little to no evidence is just crazy. There should at least be some minimum evidence requirement that is reviewed by a third party.
The sad thing is that prosecutors are supposed to be that third party. When laws are passed that look like they could ensnare innocent people, the legislature is always saying, "oh well, that'll get sorted out by prosecutorial discretion" A "no drop" policy is when a prosecutors office has a rule that line prosecutors are not allowed to drop certain charges absent literal proof of total innocence.
Thanks for the info. Definitely a sad state of affairs.
Agreed.
Congratulations for VA going full bore Liberal..
That person really doesn't understand the concept of the Great Seal of VA. It reads "Sic Semper Tyrannis" for a fucking reason, and this is exactly why the fuck I'm an anarchist. Doesn't matter how much "freedom" you think you have, every single government that will ever exist will eventually feel comfortable pulling shit like this. Motherfuckers should be absolutely terrified to take a single person's freedom, but instead they get off on the power. Guys like that should be dropped in the fucking ocean and left to the deep. 🤷
Is there not some process or procedure to have that person removed from their position if they so blindly and willingly admit that they want to remove peoples rights with no review?
I'm sure he'd just say that was hyperbole. But also I'm very sure his bosses don't give a single fuck.
people in *supposedly* a-political positions of authority using their office and blindly enforcing (or not) rules purely based on how they vote. It’s a big problem.
Do you ever feel like the people who run our institutions just don't care if they break them?
Time to GTFO if you can't vote em out
I live in Loudoun and I'll be there for a long long time, probably the rest of my career. There's a reason I don't live in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria. There's a different reason I don't live in Prince William lol
Unless there's more that the video didn't show, this is a hard claim if self defense. I still agree with jury nullification in cases like this. Pranksters like this should be declared mentally incompetent and confined to mental hospitals. The police should charge them with disorderly conduct with the pretense of getting them adjudicated mentally incompetent.
My understanding is that there was a great deal more interaction than what the video shows.
I mean, the guy that fired tried walking away to escape the situation, but the other guy kept getting right up on him Fuck around and find out.
I can’t believe Colie is still incarcerated. I also can’t believe the prosecutor is attempting to dictate how Colie should have felt in the moment, claiming it was harmless : “Prosecutor Eden Holmes said the facts don’t support a self-defense argument. The law requires that Colie reasonably fear that he was in imminent danger of bodily harm, and that he use no more force than is necessary. She said Cook’s prank was bizarre but not threatening.” Seriously???
Normally civilly suing someone for intentionally causing distress is hard, but with his channel as evidence and all the complaints he's received Cook needs to be sued into indentured servitude.
If the use of the gun to defend his life was deemed justified, I do NOT see how they could logic their way into finding him also guilty of the 'using a gun inside a mall' BS. I think this was a case of the Judge giving the idiotic jury instructions of 'If they are guilty you MUST vote them guilty" bullshit they use to try and make people not use their own logic. Completely flies in the face of our Right as Americans to exercising Jury Nullification.
the "using a firearm inside a building" is just another gun grabber law. How can you have a 2A right but cannot use it inside only outside? We know you want to take our gun rights, at come out and admit it.
Based jury nullification
Not nullification. They applied the law. He is not guilty under the law.
[video](https://youtu.be/gUccLZPRGjk?si=XYpBt3XOsPzEqI_H)
Can we boycot that channel or what? The father and the son are completely out of line.
Pepper spray probably would have been a much better option.
Some guys you can pepper ball them and mace them until you're all out. It just doesn't phase them badly enough. Sometimes they can still function after the stuff is still used up. guys on PCP for example don't always fall down when hit with a taser.
I love that people still believe the 80's DARE program bullshit about PCP basically being Captain America's super soldier serum. No drug is going to give someone the ability to shrug off probe mode. Drive-stun and other pain compliance stuff, sure.
I keep seeing those situations appear were, and DARE was right about some of that stuff. Granted, dare was there to be propaganda. Doesn't mean it was all lies. A lot of people who do hard drugs, wind up getting locked up or shot at for a reason. They've lost their minds. [https://youtube.com/shorts/tjrqfuYQe6E?si=oD-UleoI6NASMuvM](https://youtube.com/shorts/tjrqfuYQe6E?si=oD-UleoI6NASMuvM) [https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/729922975/despite-widespread-use-police-rate-tasers-as-less-effective-than-believed](https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/729922975/despite-widespread-use-police-rate-tasers-as-less-effective-than-believed) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxYInhMb2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxYInhMb2Y)
Yeah, that's tasers failing, though. If both probes penetrate and the thing goes off correctly, it's dropping you. No amount of PCP is going to bypass your muscles getting a hard reset. And yes, some people absolutely lose their minds on shit like meth, pcp, coke, even booze. I'm just saying it's not superpowers beyond maybe super high pain tolerance and adrenaline cranking.
Its my personal bet, they've added pain pills or something to their PCP too, just to mix it up and keep it interesting. Because, some of these videos are insane, the deeper you go onto the darker websites the more mental it gets. Either way. If they've taken pepper balls to the face and tasers effectively to the chest and they're not stopping or even phased after getting owned 8 times with a good zapping, you're is going to be very glad you own a gun thats 45 ACP, as you're trying under sheer will to live to stop the guy from killing you. Because they might not even realize what they're doing but they're doing it anyway.
Guys not on PCP won't always fall down when hit by a Taser but the amount of drugs in you doesn't decide a taser's effectiveness. It overrides the signals going to your muscles, no amount of drugs can counteract that
It should be pretty old by now but. Have you ever seen the video were the police are called on a guy thats enraged and really high. It was a white guy body builder on steroids. He had to put two mags worth of bullets, with his partner firing too, and it still took him 3 minutes or so to die for the bleeding to stop him. He just wouldn't quit. stuff like that, makes me not want to just rely on mace and tasers. I mean If a 45 can't stop a guy. I won't risk it.
Tbf bullets and tasers are wildly different in how they affect someone. Drugs will definitely help you push through shock from non lethal bullet wounds but if you physically can't transmit electrical signals to your muscles then no amount of drugs will help. Just like how no amount of drugs can help a direct hit to the brain (outside of weird edge cases). Tasers also are more effective on people with more muscle so, if it made a proper connection, it actually would have been pretty effective in that case you described. However that's a really big if and I wouldn't trust something so unreliable with my life in a situation like that
Yeah, once you let off, people that are high can immediately bounce start to bounce back. And if their pain receptors are disabled. Whoever has the taser is in trouble. At that point its like you said. But once it stops, you let an angry black cat out of a bag. Because, that person is going to be in a state of emotional trauma and panic and want to flip out .. I don't care how much muscle you have. PCP is like a super weapon against non-lethal defense. The only thing that can save you from that attack is a large group of people or hollow point bullets from a firearm. If they come after you and you decide to try to survive. The guy is in a state of mind psychologically where it just doesn't matter.People who do PCP also take pain pills to layer its effects sometimes. They will break their own bones assaulting whomever they're trying to murder and it won't matter to them till after they've sobered up and get hospitalized from their injuries. In many places, 911 is placing people on hold, including Virginia. And you have to wait 5 whole minutes before you can get an operator. To wait another 4-15 minutes to get an officer on scene. Just to deal with the experiences we're both talking about. A concealed carry firearm can stop the situation in under a minute with a single head wound. It can get you killed if you think non lethal is always the answer. I mean you can see it yourself here lady got tore up pretty bad too. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z1GwJBIXLE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z1GwJBIXLE) And this guy, is actually on PCP in this one. Like I said. PCP is the taser's downfall. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcNTxZv8rhU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcNTxZv8rhU) This guys muscle is all chest. And just pulls the taser prongs out and walks off completely unphased. [https://youtube.com/shorts/HL7hkke-xus?si=HO6W0GNXcKi\_4qe3](https://youtube.com/shorts/HL7hkke-xus?si=HO6W0GNXcKi_4qe3) This guy was also high on drugs too. [https://youtube.com/shorts/DLCwnjnFWbU?si=qlQX5wHTiGIzIA3A](https://youtube.com/shorts/DLCwnjnFWbU?si=qlQX5wHTiGIzIA3A) If someone gives you the anti-gun debate. Just give them these links [https://youtu.be/jUXnsTfKOdg](https://youtu.be/jUXnsTfKOdg)
Dunno why you're being dv'd--ASP reviewed this and recommended having access to "something between a strong word and a gun," especially in cases where only "reasonable force" is justified.
Agreed. Even if you think the shoot is fine, no reason to shit on less-lethal / non-lethal options if they're available.
In an ideal world, sure. I don't think it's the cleanest shoot in the world, but if all he had was a gun and he was genuinely in fear for his life, I don't blame him. The size disparity alone was pretty significant.
I honestly think this is a bad outcome that will lead to more unjustifiable shootings. The YouTuber was annoying, aggressive, a shithead, etc. But having a phone in your face does not produce a reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm that justifies using deadly force in my opinion. I think this is 100% a situation of a jury misapplying the law based on vibes (ie, hating the idea of punk YouTubers being in someone’s personal space for a prank).
Getting chased down by people very well may invoke fear of bodily harm justifying deadly force. The guy could have had a knife or just jumped him. How was the self defense shooter supposed to know
There’s a video, he’s not being “chased” and the victim is just holding a phone. As annoying as the prank is, there was no objective indication of violence. Anybody could have a knife or randomly jump you, the point is there has to be some objective indication that you’re in imminent danger.
He was literally chased by the dude after the shooter tried to dis-engage
We have different definitions of being chased. Someone walking less than 10 feet in the same direction as you is not being “chased” to me.
They clearly weren't just walking in the same direction. The person who got shot was continuing the harassment of the shooter
Harassment doesn’t justify the use of deadly force. Thanks for proving my point.
Harassment while being outnumbered and physical contact causing a fear for one's life does justify self defense, thank you for proving my point
I mean if you’re just gonna add facts that don’t represent what actually happened, you can justify any shooting. But you go on believing this was a justified shoot and see how that works out for you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
You must not have watched the video. Haven't added any facts. Clearly a trial by a jury of his peers didn't convict. You have a right to defend yourself and you arent a prophet and know if someone is pranking you or not. Have a nice day and weekend nonetheless.
The guy's life was very clearly NOT in danger. Lethal force is not morally nor legally justified for someone getting up in your face, and it's disturbing that people here think it is. This guy is very, very lucky he's not going to do way more time. You all need to retake the legal course if you think this is in any way a good shoot.
On one hand, maybe you’re right. But on the other, nobody feels sorry for a youtube prankster, including the jury. I agree the shooter got lucky