Sometimes you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. That is the case if you’re a drug dealing, stolen gun possessing homeowner defending yourself against the break-in of your home. And that was certainly the case for Pennsylvania man, Malique Jamal Black as reported by the Bridgeville Signal Item.
The Bridgeville Signal Item reports that Black, 26, “pleaded guilty in October to weapons and drug charges in three cases dating to 2022 in which prosecutors said he sold drugs and illegally possessed guns. One weapon, a stolen .45-caliber Glock handgun, was used in the Jan. 12, 2024, self-defense shooting of Allen L. Austin Jr., 29.”
Black shot Austin after the man broke into his home where “nearly $40,000 in cash and illegal drugs were kept, police said.”
Black, who was playing video games with friends in an upstairs room at the time, told police he grabbed his gun after he heard glass break and confronted the intruder and shot him as he came toward him on the stairs. There were allegedly other suspects involved in the break-in but they fled the scene and were never identified.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli decided not to press charges for the shooting death of Austin, given the circumstances, ruling that the shooting was justified.
Despite skating on a murder charge, “Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker argued for a lengthy prison sentence for Black, saying his criminal history of repeated illegal gun possessions and pending drug charges led to the fatal shooting,” the Bridgeville Signal Item reported.
Black was already a convicted felon barred from possessing firearms and was also free on bail while awaiting weapons and drug charges at the time of the shooting, prosecutors argued. They suggested the drugs and cash made him a target that ultimately led to the break-in and subsequent shooting.
The judge sentenced Black to serve 5 ½ to 12 years in prison for the illegal gun possession as well as another 2 ½ to 5 years for illegal possession of a firearm related to the original 2022 search of his home in which drugs and guns were found. Black was also charged in 2023 and pleaded guilty to drug charges related to a totally separate search of vehicle during a traffic stop.
It’s amazing this bad character was allowed to be out of jail for so long courtesy of our soft justice system, but with the DA deciding his defensive actions were justified, he literally dodged a bullet where he could’ve been looking at life in prison instead of a max of 17 years.
… luckily for him, he’ll be included in Biden’s upcoming final blanket pardon before next weekend, to include all “socially impacted victims”
Stupid people…Playing stupid games…Winning stupid prizes.
Gotta say it seems like victim blaming to me in a lot of ways.
At the same time, it’s hard to feel bad for the guy considering how much pain and suffering he’s likely imparted on humanity via independent pharmaceutical business including the “trickle down victims” his trade creates.
I tend to draw the lines on this based on what they’re selling.
That said, I also tend not to care in general because it’s not like the users are being forced to use. Just like I’m not that interested in holding liquor store owners or bar tenders responsible for liver cirrhosis and drunk driving deaths.
This is the case of the stupids – stupid time, stupid place, stupid people, stupid things.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Some people will never learn and it appears the guy in this story fits the bill.
Selling drugs and not paying your taxes should send you to prison. Just like any other income tax or business tax evader.
you are not different to me than a burger, pedo or murderer. you follow the same ethics.
burgler* got autocorrected for some reason.
A pot heads need to start conducting tax with holding classes to educate drug dealers.
Clickbait title.
Defense of home did not earn this man 17 years. Illegal use of firearms, illegal drug trafficking, and subsequent violation of parole did.
So he repeatedly sold drugs without paying his taxes. Send him to prison.
True that Jm. This is a silly post.
I don’t even care that he was a prohibited possessor. He was out of prison, so that means to me that the people of Pennsylvania didn’t think he was dangerous. Hope he had some sweet guns.
But the fact that he committed other crimes; that’s why he got hooked up by the Po Po.
If you think he’s dangerous, put him in prison for the next 40 years, and just make sure nobody brings any guns into the prison. THAT is how you keep guns away from dangerous people.
I’m far more concerned that the prosecutors are worried about making a name off this guy more than they are about looking for the violent home invaders that targeted him. Their statement(s) pretty well declare that.
Because, you know, the people who did this would, quite clearly, never target innocent people who might have something worth stealing. That’s never happened in history.
Criminals prefer hard work and taking risks against other armed criminals instead of easy scores against soft targets, right?
News flash.
Drugs dealers are prime targets. And they always have been. Even tho the l;e-g?a”liz:ati:o,n, cro.wd said by making drugs legal there would be no need for the black drug dealers to carry guns.
“Make it legal and all the crime will go away.”
Their utopian view.
“Make it legal and all the crime will go away.” Their utopian view.
Inescapable logic: law is the root cause of all crime; no law, no crime.
I’m surprise he skated on the self-defense. It’s always been my understanding for a self-defense homicide to be excused or justified, the person must be totally innocent in the ordeal, specifically meaning, you cannot be a drug dealer and expect to be able to murder your co-workers in the industry just because they tried to murder you first.
Inalienable right of self defense. Community contribution in eliminating other bad guy.
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court DENIES (cert) Two BIG 2A Cases! Still Considering Three!
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQHEAemHnU
BREAKING: CERT DENIED IN MAJOR 2A CASES.
SCOTUS denied cert in two major 2A cases. Mark Smith, Four Boxes Diner, discusses.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCuMLjp3oHw
Another Major Loss for this Federal Gun Law.
We circle back to a big issue we have discussed on many occasions here at WGL, the prohibition on those that consume cannabis from exercising their Second Amendment Rights. Washington Gun Law President, William Kirk, circles back on a case that we’ve already discussed a handful of times, United States v. Daniels. This is a challenge to the Federal prohibition on those that use cannabis, for any reason including medical, from possessing a firearm. The 5th Circuit had previously found the law unconstitutional and then on remand from the United States Supreme Court, has once again, found that law, as applied to Daniels unconstitutional.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL3v_IfEkyk
Was he a bad character?
Selling drugs only pisses the system off because the system isn’t getting any tax revenue.
Felon in possession of a gun.
Well, he wasn’t incarcerated, disregard the probation/ parole BS because if your that bad of a character you should not be amongst us holy saints who can cast stones.
Those seem like absurdly long sentences for “illegal possession of a firearm” that isn’t connected to another crime. I could see throwing the book at him if there were other serious crimes being committed at the same time.
Nobody to blame but his sorry self.