Saturday, November 1, 2014

Florida Man Shoots Ex Girlfriend

T.J. Schaus said he shot his ex-girlfriend Thursday because he thought she was a home invader.

In this shooting, police have not charged him.  Does his language reveal another Oscar P, or did he shoot his ex girlfriend accidentally?  Statement Analysis is in bold type.  



A Florida man says he accidentally shot his ex-girlfriend after she broke into his house to collect her things post break-up.
T.J. Schaus said he mistook his ex, who had recently moved out of his Mount Dora home, for a burglar when he opened fire Thursday. The woman survived the shooting, and Schaus has not been charged, deupties said.

"If I knew it was her I would have never grabbed the pistol,he told WESH.

It is interesting to hear him say he never would have "grabbed" the pistol, rather than saying "never would have shot her."  The grabbing of the pistol comes before the shooting.  This is one step away from a deliberate shooting. 

He removes a step away from "shooting her";  not only would he have not shot her, but he would not have had opportunity to shoot her, since he would not have even grabbed the pistol.  

Not grabbing it:  "the" pistol.  

What of when he does grab it?

It becomes "my pistol" showing ownership. We do not know the order of which these statements are made since WESH did the editing.  


Schaus dated the woman, who has not been identified, for two and a half years before they broke up and she moved out.

She returned Thursday to pick up her stuff. She texted Schaus to tell him she'd be there soon, but the U.S. military veteran said he was sleeping and never got the message.
He was still napping when she tried to open the locked front door around 12:30 p.m., he said.
She beat down the door to get inside, he said, and then went into his bedroom.
That's when Schaus woke up.

"I rolled out of bed, grabbed my pistol that was on my night stand, said, 'Who the f--- is in my house?'" he told the TV station. "Didn't get a reply so I shot her."



In the actual "grabbing", he takes ownership with "my" pistol.  

Being asleep (we do not have the quote, but only "napping" above) may have the startling effect.  The dropped pronoun "didn't get a reply" but reduce commitment.  Why?

possibilities:  

a.  he got a reply but reacted anyway---this could turn the case against him.  It will be interesting to hear her side of the story. 

b.  he can't recall if he got a reply or not and feels guilty

c.  the reply wasn't clear 

d.  guilty feeling that she did not reply, as he is hesitant to blame her. 
"so I shot her" takes ownership.  

That is was on "my nightstand" and not "the nightstand" shows consistency with the break up. 

Notice that he does not say "didn't get a reply so I fired..." instead saying "I shot her." 




T.J. Schaus said he shot his ex-girlfriend Thursday because he thought she was a home invader.

He realized who the intruder was after she screamed, he said.
He only fired a single shot and immediately rushed to her side to help, he said.

"She was like, 'I'm going to die. I'm going to die.' I'm like, 'You're not going to die. Lay down, be still and breathe,'" Schaus told the TV station.

When someone uses the expression "like", it reduces the commitment to what was actually said. Like all habits of speech, we note when it arises, and when it does not.  It may be a summary of what they said to each other, but it is reduced reliability, as it violates past tense commitment. 

The victim was airlifted to a local hospital and underwent surgery. On Friday morning, she was stable, awake and talking to authorities, Lake County Sgt. Jim Vachon told the Daily News.
Officers are still investigating the incident, but so far, no charges against Schaus have been filed.
"I'm upset it happened. I never in 10 million years thought I'd have to shoot somebody else," Schaus said.
He has thought of shooting others.  This may be military related. 

We need a full statement for the complete information. 



16 comments:

John Mc Gowan said...

Shooting hinges on whether man had reason to believe ex-girlfriend was an intruder

Before Felicia Huffman broke in to the Mount Dora home she once shared with her ex-boyfriend, the 23-year-old asked law enforcement to escort her while she gathered her things, a Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman said Friday.

When she learned deputies couldn't intervene in civil matters without a court order, Huffman drove to the Sullivan Ranch subdivision with some friends on Thursday, kicked in the door and walked inside. But her ex-boyfriend T.J. Schaus, sleeping in the master bedroom, awoke and said he was startled to see a silhouette in the walk-in closet.

He grabbed a gun and fired, later telling detectives he thought an intruder had broken into his house. Huffman was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she was listed as stable, according to sheriff's Sgt. Jim Vachon. Schaus has not been arrested. Detectives said the case hinges on whether the ex-boyfriend had a legitimate reason to believe she was an intruder, Vachon said.

"It's not why she entered the house but how she did it," I agree with that. If someone breaks down my door and, enters my house, I'm going to take whatever means possible to protect myself! If she is strong enough to break down the door then, she would pose as a danger to...

"What we need to put to rest, once and for all, is did he know who he was shooting at?" he asked. "That's pretty much the crux of it. Did he know who this was? And was he in fear?"

Huffman, recovering from surgery Friday, was too groggy from medication to give a statement about Thursday's shooting, he said.

Schaus, 27, told WOFL-Channel 35 that he shot Huffman by mistake, thinking that someone had broke in about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

"I was passed out and it all woke me up," he said. "I grabbed my pistol and walked to my closet door and shot. When I heard her scream…my heart just fell."

Schaus has been cooperative, Vachon said. Detectives interviewed a friend of his who was sleeping in a spare bedroom at the time of the shooting and are reviewing the two-year relationship of Huffman and Schaus.

Friends at the scene said Huffman moved out of the home because she felt unsafe there.

"She knew he had three guns, and she was scared," said Linda Stevens, 35, of Umatilla who accompanied Huffman to the home and waited outside. She called 911 after hearing shots.

Schaus had recently changed the locks, and Huffman didn't know he was home, Stevens said. Since Huffman had paid a portion of the mortgage, she thought she was entitled to enter the property, Stevens said. However, the house is registered under Schaus' name, according to Lake County property appraiser records.

Vachon said who owned the property is not relevant to the case.

"It's not why she entered the house but how she did it," he said.

The Sheriff's Office is working with the State Attorney's Office to determine whether charges will be filed.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

John, what did you think of "grabbed" in the context?

The dropped pronoun was the only concern I had.

everything here changes if we see a full statement!

Tania Cadogan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Mc Gowan said...

"I was passed out and it all woke me up," he said. "I grabbed my pistol and walked to my closet door and shot. When I heard her scream…my heart just fell."

"I was passed out"

Whats his definition of "Passed out" ?

This would lead me to ask whether he was intoxicated or under the influence of any narcotic or both ?

Hi Peter,

It sounds to me like a reflex reaction.

"I grabbed my pistol and walked to my closet door and shot.

Increase in tension.

He says he "Shot" but doesn't say what he "shot" at. I agree Peter more statements are needed.



Tania Cadogan said...

"I was passed out and it all woke me up," he said. "I grabbed my pistol and walked to my closet door and shot. When I heard her scream…my heart just fell."

"I was passed out and it all woke me up

Passed out and not asleep, this makes me wonder if he had been drinking or had used drugs. passed out is in relation to being unconscious from a substance

"I grabbed my pistol and walked to my closet door and shot.
Lots of missing info here.
he doesn't tell us he made any sound such as who's there, or any warning such as i have a gun, i am armed etc, he tells us he grabbed the gun walked and shot.
Shot not fired?

He doesn't say he shot the intruder or fired a warning shot (since i would presume one would rather scare the intruder away than face a confrontation with someone who may be better armed or who has accomplices.

When I heard her scream…my heart just fell."
He has just shot someone who he thought was an intruder,(allegedly)
Would it make any difference if the intruder was male or female?
He tells us he heard her scream and his heart just fell.
Just is used to minimise downwards.
How did he know it was his ex he had just shot?
Did he recognise by her scream?
Did she say something as he shot her?
did she say something after he shot her and before he got to her?

Did he identify her before shooting her?

What was the lighting like when he fired the shot?

Could he see the intruder?

If he couldn't why not say something to the intruder even if it was to tell them get out his house?
Most householders would want to avoid a confrontation if possible and would the intruder every chance to escape as a trapped intruder is likely to get aggressive and somebody will get hurt.
So far he doesn't tell us if anything was said between them from him waking up and firing the gun.
We only have him saying something and we only hear what she said after he shot her.

She is scared because she knows he has three guns (liars number Mark McClish) it could be true but i am noting it anyway.

Knowing this why does she then kick in his door with all the noise it would make?

Knowing he is ex military, why would she risk breaking in?
Why not come to an amicable agreement about collecting her property or get the police to accompany her?

If she went into his bedroom and into his walk in closet, did she not see him passed out?

If she did why did she not say anything given he was woken up by her kicking in the door?

What condition was the door in that she could kick it in?
what locking systems were there as some doors cannot be kicked in?

how big is she (slender, well built, tall, short etc)

Would she not have seen him as she walked to his closet?

Did she think he was out?

Something is off and as Peter says, we need to see full unedited statement with who said what and who did what and when to come to a conclusion

Statement Analysis Blog said...

"passed out" could be do things:

1. Substance abuse. As Tania pointed out, he may have been drinking or drugging.

2. "Passed out", very asleep, especially given the time of day.

Sometimes when someone is in a deep sleep in an unusual time they were "passed out" or "passed right out" due to just how unaware they were of their environment, compared to a light nap.

Agreed: more is needed.

If he was cooperative, which another article suggests, he would have submitted to drug testing.

Interesting:

1. I like "never would have grabbed..." but dislike

2 dropped pronoun upon reply.

if anyone sees a news agency with an interview, let us know.

thanks

Peter

Statement Analysis Blog said...

When she gives a statement, we will likely solve the mystery of the dropped pronoun about not getting a reply.

We may learn: uh oh, bad news.

or

that it may have been one of the other reasons.

John Mc Gowan said...

OT Update:

Man last seen with missing Texas woman: "I'm not hiding anything"

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-last-seen-with-missing-texas-woman-im-not-hiding-anything/

Tania Cadogan said...

dropped pronoun in relation to didn't get a reply so i shot her.

Grabbed THE pistol not grabbed MY pistol.
Is this perhaps distancing?


"If I knew it was her I would have never grabbed the pistol,"
This leads me to ask what would he have done instead?

It is interesting to see different versions of what happened in his statements to media.

Why the need to say where the pistol was located?
It is interesting to see he takes ownership of the pistol and the nightstand, especially since this ivolves her removing her property from his house.

It doesn't say where she was shot, only that she survived so it will be interesting to hear her version of events.

Since he was a military vet, i would presume he would have shot to kill, instinct and training kicking in, plus there could also be PTSD (possible defence later?)

Did he expect her die?

Since she didn't, will his statement change?
What will be his response to her version of events?

We need a full statement, and transcripts of his interviews so we know what was asked when and how and his full responses.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

that's the point, Tania. In reading the article, I could not determine the order of statements. Was "a" pistol introduced? "my"? "the"?

Don't you wish journalists had training!

Buckley said...

it all woke me up

"It all" is kind of vague. What exactly woke him up? Noise? Seeing silhouette? Also, if the breaking of the door was a part of what woke him up, why did he only see a silhouette of her going into the closet?

"rolled out of bed"

Seems kind of relaxed for someone who's about to shoot someone out of fear.

Still his statements about not knowing who it was seem pretty reliable.


Here's another with a few differences.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/woman-allegedly-shot-ex-boyfriend-while-trying-ret/nhwkf/

MOUNT DORA, Fla. —
Lake County deputies said a man shot his girlfriend Thursday as she tried to get her things from the home they once shared near Mount Dora.

The shooting happened on Cheval Street about 12:30 p.m.

Deputies said the victim was shot shortly after she broke into the home she used to share with her boyfriend in order to collect some of her things.

"She has a key, but he changed the locks and an officer told her that since this is her residence that she is allowed to break in, and she cannot get in trouble for it," said Linda Stevens, the victim's friend.

(Hmm, too bad the cop didn't warn her of other consequences of breaking in)

Deputies said the victim recently moved out of the home but showed up about 12:30 p.m. to collect some belongings.

Friends said she had no idea her ex was in the home when she got there.

Investigators said the victim broke in and went into the master bedroom. At some point, the woman's ex-boyfriend, T.J. Schaus, who was sleeping, woke up and fired at least one shot, striking the victim, authorities said.

"I was protecting myself. I did not know who it was," said Schaus.

Schaus said he was asleep when his estranged girlfriend came to their home.

"She came into the room and went straight into the closet, so I just caught a glimpse of her. I did not know who it was," said Schaus.

His stating he did not know who it was seems reliable.

Schaus said his automatic reaction was to protect himself, so he grabbed the gun he keeps by his bed and fired.

"I asked, 'Who the hell is in my house?' No reply. And that's where I keep all my weapons, in the master bedroom closet, and then I shot," said Schaus.

(word changed from f--- to hell in this article)

He said he quickly realized his mistake.

"Once I heard her scream, I hit my knees and started crying," said Schaus. "Once I did it I felt freaking horrible cause I would never do that to her."

So he did this all on scream. No "I saw her" or "I ran to help her". More important is he felt bad and cried. Is "hit my knees" body position like "stood"? In first article he said "my heart just fell" after realizing it was her

Stevens said she was outside when she heard the shot.

"I ran to the third house down and then I called the cops from my cellphone, but I hid behind the house because I didn't know if he was going to shoot me or not," said Stevens.

The woman was flown to a local hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.

Friends said the victim and her boyfriend broke up last week.

Schaus has not been charged in the shooting. Deputies are still investigating.

The victim's name and condition have not been released. She was airlifted to a hospital and underwent surgery.

Tania Cadogan said...

Peter Hyatt said...

that's the point, Tania. In reading the article, I could not determine the order of statements. Was "a" pistol introduced? "my"? "the"?

Don't you wish journalists had training!


I agree.
some journalists should never be let loose near a pen or computer without supervision.

it is hard to know if these are from different statements, the journalist has interpreted his words and put them in their own language or what.

it is hard enough to analyse with a full and completely accurate transcript otherwise we are analysing the journalist's words rather than the actual subject and that can be a whole different issue

Tania Cadogan said...

"I asked, 'Who the hell is in my house?' No reply. And that's where I keep all my weapons, in the master bedroom closet, and then I shot," said Schaus.

Asked is way too polite and passive.

Ask yourself if you heard an intruder in your house and you are on your own, would you ask t who the hell is in my house , or, would you be more forceful and demand/scream/shout?

It is a tense situation and you don't know who it is, your adrenaline would be flowing, flight or fright mode would be kicking in, are you going to ask politely who is in my house?
All that is missing is the excuse me.

No reply
He doesn't say the intruder didn't give a reply so i can't say it for him.
We only hear the victim have anything attributed to her conversation wise after she shot her.

And that's where I keep all my weapons, in the master bedroom closet, and then I shot,"
And at the start of a sentence indicates missing information.
He tells us he keeps ALL his weapons in the master bedroom.
All means everything, fully inclusive, yet we are told he had his gun on his nightstand which meant that not ALL his guns were kept in the main bedroom closet.

I keep all my weapons, in the master bedroom closet, and then I shot,"
He doesn't tell us he fired his pistol/gun/weapon, he uses the term SHOT.
It is almost as if he self edits and stops short.
Was he going to say and that's when i shot HER?
This makes more sense linguistically. it completes the sentence.
The way he says it leaves it open ended, needing more words.

I see passivity in this, if she knew he had guns and being a vet, surely she would not have taken the risk of breaking in, how did she kick the door in for one ( given it would likely get the attention of neighbors)

We are not being told everything it seems.
it does smack of oscar pistorius, except this time the victim survived.
I wonder what she will say?

Buckley said...

Agree with all that, though her friend confirms she broke in and it seems police gave her permission sort of.

His talk about the guns in the closet is explaining why he felt the need to shoot. The "intruder" was in the place his guns were. I find it odd because it interrupts the flow of what happened.

Is it strange he calls it his pistol, his nightstand, but calls it "the master bedroom closet"? Does that lack ownership of the thought at the time?

Whst you said about "asked," Tania, is exactly how I feel about "rolled" out of bed.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

I also wonder how many journalist, who have the interview at hand, stop to consider that if they ask the correct questions, they may be a means to solving a case or bringing home a missing person...

Anonymous said...

"Once I heard her scream, I hit my knees and started crying," said Schaus. "Once I did it I felt freaking horrible cause I would never do that to her."

He knew who it was.

How about ´once I heard a scream´... He caught a glimpse of her but didn´t recognise her?

He felt bad after he pulled the trigger.