filed under Daily Dose
Violent Idiocy
1:50PM ON
06/04/2008
BY
Eric Smith
As the trial of Nicholas Gianquitti, the retired police office accused of killing retired firefighter Jim Pagano in Warwick plays out in Providence this week, I have a question about one of the more disturbing facts of the case, although it doesn’t really matter now I guess. When Gianquitti went out into the street to yell at the children who had hit his car with a tennis ball, why did he have a loaded .380-caliber handgun in his waistband? Was he going to shoot them?
June 4th, 2008 at 2:14PM
Roberts Says:
I think it makes more sense that he would have got it after yelling at the kids, when Pagano was knocking on Gianquitti’s door.
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June 4th, 2008 at 2:24PM
Eric Smith Says:
Possibly, but the article, which admittedly is the only thing I have to go on here, seems to have Pagano immediately following Gianquitti into his house from the street after the confrontation with the children, which leads me to believe he had the gun on him from that start. But you have a point. Even so, when the neighbor knocks on your door, the first thing this guy does is grab his gun? After a squabble over a tennis ball and some children?
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June 4th, 2008 at 3:25PM
former phair fan Says:
I agree with Eric on this one. I’ve been following this case from the beginning and couldn’t believe the guy is now claiming self-defense. Seriously? Is this what we’ve come to in society? Someone comes on your property in the middle of the day, with a family cookout in progress and you feel so threatened you need to shoot the guy in self-defense!?!
I’m glad the judge could see through it and denied his bail…
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June 4th, 2008 at 3:48PM
Kyle Says:
I’m also working with limited info on this stupid topic, but I thought I heard that Gianquitti is possibly a paranoid schizophrenic, which supposedly had something to do with why he is an early retiree. Obviously doesn’t make it ok, but maybe sheds some light on the situation.
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June 5th, 2008 at 4:49PM
JOE BERNSTEIN Says:
Kyle-you cannot obtain a carry permit as a retired law enforcement officer if you left the job on “stress” disability.I understand his disability was related to a knee injury.
A woman once stormed into my house uninvited because she claimed her daughter and my son were”messing around”(they were both minors)-I certainly did’t feel threatened,but I did tell her she was a rude asshole to just walk into my house and told her to get a leash for her daughter.
My wife then got things settled down quietly and there was no “incident” and no police involved.
I think there had to be some real bad blood between Gianquitti and Pagano because the shooter ignored other people in the immediate vicinity(thankfully) unlike some people who “lose it” and fire at random.
In RI there is no permit required to have a handgun in a home or place of business.All that is needed is a DEM “blue card” and a record check.A permit is required to carry a concealed firearm.
Now,if someone forces their way into your home,and you are in fear of your life,there is no duty on your part to retreat,which makes sense.
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