No excuse for big mistakes

A crime committed two years ago is finally brought to justice as two sides of the story clash against one another in an attempt to reveal the gruesome truth.

David Barajas was on the road with his two sons, 12-year-old David Jr. and 11-year-old Caleb, in December 2012, when his truck broke down. The day went from bad to worse when the two sons were asked by their father to push the disabled truck down the road 100 yards to their home.

Moments later, Jose Banda, Jr., a drunk driver traveling the same road, struck the back of the truck and killed the sons instantly. In a fit of rage, David decided to avenge his two sons right then and there and shot and killed Banda.

The mess David is in right now can never really be fixed. His sons are gone due to a drunk driver’s irresponsible mistakes; that alone is enough to scar him for the rest of his life. Additionally, this father also bears some responsibility for his son’s deaths. David made the decision to have his 11 and 12 year old sons push his broken down truck when he could’ve called a tow truck, even if it was 100 yards from their driveway. Sure, he didn’t know that a drunk driver would crash into them, but parents should always expect the unexpected and do all that they can to protect their children. The reality is, David shouldn’t have had his kids pushing the truck down the road, end of story.

Clearly this is not 100% David’s fault. The drunk driver who plowed into the back of David’s car is certainly culpable as well, but David’s decision to take justice into his own hands was not the answer.

What David should have done is make Banda live with the consequences the judicial system would clearly have given him for driving impaired and taking the lives of two young kids. That sounds like more of a legitimate punishment than simply shooting Banda in a fit of rage.

When someone is impaired by alcohol, they can’t make the best decisions. Not because they don’t feel like it, but because they physically and mentally cannot, but that is no excuse whatsoever. Banda should not have been on the road. Though he killed an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old who didn’t even get to experience life, Banda didn’t deserve to die at the hands of a man determined to avenge their deaths.