You are pushed off a building and someone shoots you on the way down.....

[Vesayen]

Odd hypothetical from a lecture I was just in, I thought some folks on apolyton might enjoy it.

You are pushed off a tall building and as you are falling to your death, someone shoots you with a rifle, killing you.

Who should be held accountable for the murder, the shooter, the pusher, both? Who is legally(pick whatever jurisdiction you want) or ethically accountable?

[SlowwHand]

Both. Though the shot killed, the target wouldn't be there if not pushed.

[Vesayen]

Well the pusher pushed, but that did not result in his death. The shooter commited the actual homicide, how can you hold someone accountable for murder when their actions never resulted in a death?

[Zkribbler]

Shooter - homicide
Pusher -- attempted homicide

[Wezil]

Magnolia

[SlowwHand]

If you're driving a car without a license and someone runs a light and t-bones you, guess who is at fault?
You. If you weren't there, there would have been no accident. This is fact.
Following that same logic, the pusher is certainly chargeable as an accomplice at a minimum.
The shooter is up for lots of charges. Discharge of a firearm in town, for instance, could be added.

[Japher]

pass interference

[MosesPresley]

Wasn't this scenario in a game or TV series plot?

[Wezil]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
Wasn't this scenario in a game plot or TV series plot?

opening of Magnolia

[MosesPresley]

I never saw Magnolia, but I know I saw this in CSI or a game not too long ago. Maybe they were referencing Magnolia or vice versa.

[Wezil]

It is a classic law school question. Variants of this have been around for awhile.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
If you're driving a car without a license and someone runs a light and t-bones you, guess who is at fault?
You. If you weren't there, there would have been no accident. This is fact.

Using that logic, your mother is also to blame. If she hadn't given birth to you, you wouldn't have been there.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


Using that logic, your mother is also to blame. If she hadn't given birth to you, you wouldn't have been there.

I don't see that extension if taken in the spirit of common sense. If you don't have a licence you shouldn't be driving and shouldn't be there - hence culpability albeit shared. Whilst we may wish that certain people hadn't been born, it's not illegal.

[MosesPresley]

Originally posted by Wezil
It is a classic law school question. Variants of this have been around for awhile.

That's good to know.

[Asher]

You are pushed off a building and someone shoots you on the way down.....

A fate better than those who read this thread.