# Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in



## SuperBane (Jul 28, 2013)

*Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

A 14-year-old boy remained in critical condition Friday after being shot in the head by a homeowner who said he thought the teen was trying to break into his house. But police said the teen was unarmed and did not pose an "imminent threat" when he was shot and have charged the owner with attempted second-degree murder. 

The family of Marshall Coulter said the teenager could move only the right side of his body a little, but not the left. Doctors told the family that if Coulter survives, he would likely be severely brain damaged.

Coulter's family acknowledged the teen's history of burglary arrests but said he had never used a gun.

Police said that Coulter did not pose a threat to the homeowner, Merritt Landry, who works as a building inspector for the Historic District Landmarks Commission.


Police said the teen was near Landry's vehicle when he was shot about 2 a.m. Landry's friends said the vehicle was in the driveway behind a gate just a few feet from the house's backdoor.

According to an NOPD arrest warrant, Landry shot Coulter from 30 feet away, evidenced by the distance between the blood found on the ground and the single bullet casing outside Landry's house in the 700 block of Mandeville Street.

Landry told police that he approached the boy from his front yard, near his vehicle. As he grew closer, he said, the boy made a "move, as if to reach for something" -- possibly a weapon -- so Landry shot him, the warrant states.

NOPD Detective Nicholas Williams spoke with an unidentified witness who gave an account that differed from Landry's, though the detective did not specify how. Williams wrote in the warrant that Coulter was not trying to enter Landry's house and did not pose an "imminent threat" to Landry.

Judge Franz Zibilich set Landry's bond at $100,000. Landry posted a property bond and was released late Friday.

Landry's attorneys, Michael Kennedy and Miles Swanson, issued a statement after the arrest saying, "This incident is terrible, and Mr. Landry feels terrible about how things have occurred. Nevertheless, we remain convinced our client has done nothing wrong, and we are sure -- as facts come to light -- it'll become clear that Mr. Landry will be fully exonerated of any wrongdoing."

A spokesman for the City of New Orleans said Landry has been placed on emergency suspension without pay, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

Meanwhile, Coulter's mother would not leave his hospital bedside. His grandmother and older brother sat outside the family's home on Elysian Fields Avenue on Friday afternoon, grieving and upset.

Coulter is the seventh of eight children. Coulter's 23-year-old brother, David Coulter, said he had largely raised the children after their father died three years ago of stomach cancer. David said he and his mother did his best to keep Marshall out of trouble.

Marshall Coulter, who had been on medication for attention deficit hyperactive disorder, was awaiting trial for "stealing stuff," his brother said.

"He would steal -- he was a professional thief, sure," David Coulter said. "But he would never pick up a gun, not in a million years. He was too scared to aim a gun at the grass, let alone aim it at a person. No way. Before he'll ever pick up a gun, he'll be your friend first.

"He's still a little boy," the brother said. "Who pulls a trigger on a 14-year-old? What if it was your little brother or your sister? How would you feel?"

But Landry's neighbors and friends said they could understand where Landry's actions. They said that Landry, who has a pregnant wife and baby daughter, believed the teen was trying to break into his house.

"Merritt is a friend. I can't blame him one bit," Charles Hazouri said. "He's got a family. You've got to protect your own."

Hazouri, who owns property near Landry's house, said his surveillance cameras captured two juveniles riding BMX bikes up and down Mandeville and Dauphine streets around 1:44 a.m. One of the teens was wearing a blue tank top with white stripes; the other was wearing a light-colored T-shirt, Hazouri said.

Earlier in the evening, a different neighbor said the teen in the blue tank top had been biking around the area around 8 p.m. and the neighbor believed he was looking at different houses.

"I thought about calling the cops, but the last thing I want to do is racially profile a little kid who's just biking," said the neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The neighbor and Landry are white; the two teens are black.

Hazouri said his video, which he gave to NOPD detectives, shows the two teens talking in the middle of Mandeville Street outside of Landry's house. The video then shows the teen in the light-colored T-shirt walk his bike across Mandeville toward Landry's house. Then, the teen walks back out to the middle of the road before climbing over Landry's fence, Hazouri said. The other teen in the tank top stayed on the other side of Mandeville Street, Hazouri said.

Landry's large dog started barking, which alerted Landry to the teen being inside his yard, according to Landry's friends.

Hazouri acknowledged the potential for his friend to be in legal trouble, nodding to the recent controversial acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Zimmerman's trial brought issues of self-defense shootings, racial profiling and Castle or "Stand Your Ground" laws to the national spotlight.

"Unfortunately, I feel bad about it because I hope it doesn't turn out to be another Florida deal," Hazouri said. "I'm a permit holder and a gun owner myself. You've got to stand up for your family."

The comparisons that many have drawn with the Trayvon Martin case disturbed Coulter's brother. "That's a different story," he said. "That was Trayvon, this is Marshall. This is a whole different world. This is my little brother's life on the line - I don't care about anything else."

David Coulter said he hoped Landry would be imprisoned for the shooting. "I want to see a prosecution, not somebody who gets out after a couple of years," he said. "I want to see the system do its job for once."

Marshall Coulter was a student at Renew School Network in the 2012-2013 school year, but his mother chose to send him to another school for the 2013-2014 school year because she wanted to separate him from his younger brother, according to the schools' chief executive officer, Gary Robichaux.

Renew School started last Monday, and Marshall Coulter's little brother has been in school all week. "It's just a really sad situation," Robichaux said between tears, "and we just wish he had been in school this week."


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## SuperBane (Jul 28, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/07/marigny_homeowner_shooting.html

.....beware the dogs will get whatevers left of ya .....


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## grind4it (Jul 28, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I'm glad I live in Texas. You shoot a mother fucker that's breaking in to your car on your property and you get fist bumps in church. Poor bastard is getting cruisified for shooting a known criminal that was lurking in the shadows at 2:00 am.


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## Jada (Jul 28, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Damn crazy man, people need to use better judgment when armed, that kid didnt do shit, fked up


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## Jada (Jul 28, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Im just thinkin a little clear now, I can c y he did what he did .


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## NbleSavage (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

If the shooter's version of the story is truth (and only he & the alleged per will ever know) then I believe he was justified. 

Late night, intruder on the property, made a move to produce a weapon - not to mention pregnant wife inside. I'd have shot him as well. If the kid had shown his hands or ran, I'd not have engaged but would have detained him and called 911. Yes, he's a kid but in the middle of the night I have to believe it was difficult if not impossible for the shooter to have tagged the perp with an approximate age (and does age really matter in this case? would it have been justifiable if the kid HAD pulled a gun? Or do I have to let him take a few shots at me before I engage because, you know, he's just a kid...)

Lesson learned: don't break into people's homes and you're less likely to get shot.


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## mistah187 (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Always aim for the legs man


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## StoliFTW (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

A little excessive, no?


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## RustyShackelford (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



mistah187 said:


> Always aim for the legs man



Center mass


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## PFM (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Criminals have more rights, this shit is sickening.


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## Seeker (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Why is a 14 year old  out on the streets at 2am? Blame goes to the parents. if I see anybody, teenager or adult on my property at 2am. I'm gonna get very freaking nervous and my 1st instinct is to protect my wife and kids.


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## chicken wing (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I would have and will do ybe same thing. If I feel a threat to my family I will shoot to kill. Bottom line. You can always come out of prison but you can never come out of your grave. I have kids to worry about. You come to my house you better be ready for war.


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## BigGameHunter (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Ive broken into peoples homes hundreds of times before...as a bondsman I was the one that snatched your ass out of bed at night for missing OUR court date, I did this for the better part of 17 yrs in TX and OK.  I also owned and opperated a wrecker svc that did repossessions.  That said I made my peace with taking a bullet a long time ago.  You have to in that neck of the woods.  This boy should have too.  RIP thief and God bless the poor bastard that shot him.

Ive said this so many times on here before, If your packing you'd better be careful in the decisions you make.  Make no mistake the police are there to arrest you.  The DA is there to make a name for himself.  Ive bonded out several people that thought they were protecting their faimlies and went to jail anyway a couple went to prison.

BTW I dont disagree with Jada or Stoli on the excessiveness of the homeowner, but any criminal or person like myself knows the rules of the game and at some point youd better get ready to see some iron if/when your creeping around at night regardless of your buisness.


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## StoliFTW (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Agree 100% BGH!!!


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## Big Worm (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I say he got what he deserves.......inside someone else property with no reason for being there........a risk you should have thought about before trying to take whats mine.


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## Bigwhite (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

In Ohio we have the castle law which means you come into my house or car and I feel threatened, I can shoot you. Armed or not....


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## SuperBane (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Kids making stupid choices, Yet they're kids.
Where are the parents?
Excessive? Maybe...
Yet at 2am woke out of bed I know for a fact your adrenaline is rushing, You've no idea who or what is outside lurking through your yard.
.....As I said earlier and the dogs may get whatever is left of ya....


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## Bigwhite (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



SuperBane said:


> Kids making stupid choices, Yet they're kids.
> Where are the parents?
> Excessive? Maybe...
> Yet at 2am woke out of bed I know for a fact your adrenaline is rushing, You've no idea who or what is outside lurking through your yard.
> .....As I said earlier and the dogs may get whatever is left of ya....



Can't always blame the parents. I have one kid that is the perfect kid. Sports, good grades, does what he is supposed to do. The other boy is bad. Started at 14. If I punished him, he would take off. Ran away 4 times for weeks at a time. Spend 6 months in juvy. Put him through all the drug programs where he just met more fucked up friends. He is doing better but in 12 months he is 18. Can't wait...lol


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## graniteman (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Fuckin A Good Shot! 1 shot 1 kill one less asshole to cause more lives pain and taxpayers money to house.


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## Georgia (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

One less liberal voter


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## italian1 (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I think in Pa we have the castle law now too. Just in the last couple of years. I think there always has to be some kind of judgement call on everyone's part. But if I was in the situation I would have shot also. And honestly I say fuck the kid and the parents. Everyone in this country has become a pussy that follows way to many rules and policies. If you do something that you know 100% is wrong then take the punishment you are given. Sometimes it's a slap on the hand. And other times its a bullet coming your way. It's crazy how soft the US of A has become. I'm 36. And when I was a kid if you did something wrong. You got punished. Sometimes it was a talk and sometimes it was a foot in your ass. Depends what you did. If you just screwed up and made a mistake then it was a talk. If you completely disrespected someone and did something you knew was wrong then the punishment was a lot worse. Nowadays if you spank your kids you go to jail. It's bullshit. Believe me I have kids. And they are well behaved and know what's right and what's wrong. Or they pay the consequences.  We have a bunch if friends with kids that don't discipline like we do. And there kids are fucking brats.


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## BeastMaster (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



RustyShackelford said:


> Center mass




Yep! Well said. Shouldn't of popped his top but heat of the moment... Wo knows..


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## AlphaD (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Like my father said to me.........  "Nothing good happens after 12 midnight"


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## DieYoungStrong (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

"Better to be judged by 12 of my peers then carried by 6." - some smart guy

2AM, someone is breaking into your shit, you wake up and protect your house...I have a wife and 2 kids at my house. There's a lot of junkies around where I live, and break-ins are common. In fact, a year or 2 ago, some "poor, misunderstood" junkie broke into a house in my city, snuck around, and took an 11 year old girl with him when he left, and killed her. The parents never woke up. Half the news stories were about how the guy was such a nice kid when he wasn't on dope. 

It's a tragedy that a 14 year old kid died, but if that kid broke into my house, I'd put 2 on his center mass, protect my family, and worry about the other shit later. I'm sure the homeowner had no idea how old the kid was. It's not like he had time to ask him for an ID before he shot him.

If your going to have the balls to try to take someone else's shit, be ready for everything that could come with that decision. Breaking into someone's house isn't on the same level as a 14 yr old kid shoplifting, or something like that. Breaking into another man's house is personal.


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## bubbagump (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Always keep a throw away gun....


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## #TheMatrix (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



bubbagump said:


> Always keep a throw away gun....



is this what I call a dirty one?  belongs to no one...and everyone at the same time?


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## TR90125 (Jul 31, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

When I was in junior high our principal was a self proclaimed bad ass and always gave the same speech to every incoming class.  The most notable quote was:

"Your ACTIONS cause my REACTIONS".   

Its always easy to be the Monday morning quarterback.  Bottom line in this case, I'm pretty confident if this kid wasn't poking around someone else's property he'd still be alive.  His poor decision forced the property owner to react.  Whether or not you agree with his use of force, it was a reaction brought about by another person who chose to disobey several laws, the most important of which is the law of common sense.

We have Castle Law in Texas and it's a common belief that anyone dumb enough to test it deserves what they get.


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## musclebird (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Fuck this..  30 feet away..  And he shot him right in the head,  clearly he had time to aim for the kill shot.. Kid sees a man from 30 feet away and makes a gesture to pull out a gun? I call bull shit,  buddy's probably just some fucking g ass hole who wanted to shoot someone :s when someone goes to pull out a gun do you really just fire one clean shot to the head?  He clearly had time to take aim.  Unless the kid really did make a threatening gesture,  then I think it gives him the right... But I think that's just the story he told police after he realised how bad he fucked up...  Even if you think someone's breaking into your house or car you can't just fucking g shoot or assault them because you don't know what's up..  Could be some drunk guy thinking it's his own house he's breaking into or some shit... Maybe if it wasn't a 14 year old kid I would feel different about this..  But fuck just yell hey and shoot a round into the air or some shit :s


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## BigGameHunter (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



musclebird said:


> Fuck this..  30 feet away..  And he shot him right in the head,  clearly he had time to aim for the kill shot.. Kid sees a man from 30 feet away and makes a gesture to pull out a gun? I call bull shit,  buddy's probably just some fucking g ass hole who wanted to shoot someone :s when someone goes to pull out a gun do you really just fire one clean shot to the head?  He clearly had time to take aim.  Unless the kid really did make a threatening gesture,  then I think it gives him the right... But I think that's just the story he told police after he realised how bad he fucked up...  Even if you think someone's breaking into your house or car you can't just fucking g shoot or assault them because you don't know what's up..  Could be some drunk guy thinking it's his own house he's breaking into or some shit... Maybe if it wasn't a 14 year old kid I would feel different about this..  But fuck just yell hey and shoot a round into the air or some shit :s



Years ago a young man was working for one of my friends repossession company.  They got an order on a Chevy 2500 and got keys from the dealership.  The agent got shot and nearly died.  The home owner was put in prision for life and just came up for parole and didnt get it.  The DA and the Jury said that since the shooter knew the transmission was sitting on the porch the truck wasnt going anywhere.  Even though the kid had a wrecker down the street.  Did this home owner want to kill someone?  Probably but it doesnt matter, hes in prison and the kid he shot knew the risks of what he was getting into.

TR90215  thats a very good summary of this situation.  I can tell you when I use to have to creep up on someone anytime day or night, common sense is exactly the law I had to ignore.  If he cant stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.


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## PFM (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*



musclebird said:


> Fuck this..  30 feet away..  And he shot him right in the head,  clearly he had time to aim for the kill shot.. Kid sees a man from 30 feet away and makes a gesture to pull out a gun? I call bull shit,  buddy's probably just some fucking g ass hole who wanted to shoot someone :s when someone goes to pull out a gun do you really just fire one clean shot to the head?  He clearly had time to take aim.  Unless the kid really did make a threatening gesture,  then I think it gives him the right... But I think that's just the story he told police after he realised how bad he fucked up...  Even if you think someone's breaking into your house or car you can't just fucking g shoot or assault them because you don't know what's up..  Could be some drunk guy thinking it's his own house he's breaking into or some shit... Maybe if it wasn't a 14 year old kid I would feel different about this..  But fuck just yell hey and shoot a round into the air or some shit :s



Yeah he should have checked his ID.


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## musclebird (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I don't think this dude should go to jail though, far worse IMO to send an insistent man to prison then to let a guilty man walk free... especially in this situation where it wasn't some kid selling boy scout cookies.. the kid was actually committing a crime.. but to those of you saying hey its the kids own fault and the man was in the right because it is his land.. i think it was still wrong to shoot him.. what if after he shot him it turned out the kid was just the neighbours son looking for his dog that ran away or some shit.. then you would probably think this guys a doush bag.. or in the courts it would be a way different story. really just a shitty situation to the kid and the man trying to defend his family


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## musclebird (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I don't think this dude should go to jail though, far worse IMO to send an insistent man to prison then to let a guilty man walk free... especially in this situation where it wasn't some kid selling boy scout cookies.. the kid was actually committing a crime.. but to those of you saying hey its the kids own fault and the man was in the right because it is his land.. i think it was still wrong to shoot him.. what if after he shot him it turned out the kid was just the neighbours son looking for his dog that ran away or some shit.. then you would probably think this guys a doush bag.. or in the courts it would be a way different story. really just a shitty situation to the kid and the man trying to defend his family ...


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## UJMRYDER (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

Several years ago I was on a project away from home. I rented a house in a "transitional" neighborhood. It was cheap and near the project. One evening I had to walk over to the project due to an alarm issue. Everything was fine but when I got close to my place I saw someone rifling through my truck. I had a legal carry piece and a phone on me. I stepped back into the shadows and chose to call the police. They got there fast. About the time they arrived I had inched closer to my truck. At the same time I must have startled the guy and he turned around fast clutching something under his coat. I was still behind a tree when out came a can of beans that I still had in my truck from earlier.

Turns out the "guy" was a 16 yr old kid that was hungry and taking care of his sister. Both had run away from abusive foster homes. The cops were cool and easily dismissed. All he had taken was food. Not my tools, radio, or any other items of value in my truck. I gave the kid a couple hundred dollars and ended up helping him with getting work. Awesome worker, and awesome now adult.

I am glad I never took my gun out. I probably would have ruined three lives that day. I know this is probably an extremely rare case but maybe its something to think about when you are ready to shoot someone over your stuff. And yes, if he had entered my house I probably would have shot at him. If you enter someones house then all bets are off. I just mention that since the kid in the article was shot from thirty feet away.

Just my .02


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## PFM (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: Unarmed 14 year old shot in head homeowner claims teen was attempting break in*

I've had my work tools stolen and couldn't finish a job that caused allot of scheduling problems for weeks but the main problem is trying to sleep and hearing "things" that disrupt my sleep. It's bullshit, I say shoot the cocksuckers and their sympathizers where they stand.


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