I was curious about why Dick Cheney wasn't charged with anything when he shot his hunting partner.
It appears to me that a basic reading of Texas law defines assault as:
"ASSAULT. (a) A person commits an offense if the person: (1) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to another, including the person's spouse;"
I also read that if a firearm is involved, the assault charge can be upgraded to aggravated assault (a felony, not a misdemeanor). "Recklessly" appears to be the operative term here.
Now while I am a bird hunter and not a lawyer, (and this case shows it's clearly safer not to be a lawyer and go bird huntin' with friends), it appears that the potential for a finding of aggravated assault is pretty high.
So, to you lawyers out there who know Texas law, why isn't this being discussed?
(Now an aside here: As much as I dislike Cheney's political philosophy and policies, I feel bad for him. He shot a lawyer in front of witnesses. Jeez...this could become the stuff of hundreds of late-night personal injury ads on TV).