Have you ever seen a poster of a criminal who is being searched by the police, with a text written on it “Wanted: Dead or Alive”? If yes, then have you wondered whether it is legal or not to kill the wanted criminal?
Thus, to answer this question, it is excellent to understand that even if the poster says “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” don’t give an individual a right to kill them without facing any legal consequences. It is because ordinary individuals are unaware of the whole story of the crime of the criminal.
However, if it a case of a threat to your life, then it might count as an act of self-defense. Other than that, you are not legally allowed to kill a wanted criminal. But, in case you are trying to collect the bounty after handing over or killing the person, and then something happens to your life, then this wouldn’t be considered as self-defense. Hence, there is no logic in hunting down the criminals at the stake of your life.
Nonetheless, if no one witnesses you while killing the criminal who was not even a threat to your life, then blaming it in the name of self-defense gets easier.
Cautions to keep in mind:
- The reality is different than posters with clear photographs, just like a game or movie. The real posters have simple sketches that make it difficult to get hold of the right criminal. Thus, it essential to be careful.
- If you are in search of the criminals just like a lawman, then you must always carry security weapons with you.
- You must not kill the person until and unless the criminal is a threat to your life. You must only kill for your self-defense.
Who are lawmen?
Lawmen are ordinary people deputized, especially to move around and capture the criminals. It is sort of their job to go down hunting the criminal and collecting their rewards from the person who appointed them. Now another might have popped up in your heads that, who pays them.
For whom do the lawmen work?
The answer to this question is that some individual or private companies hire them to fulfill their interest in bringing criminals to justice. People don’t consider what legalities they might get into just for the sake of some reward.
And, if the poster is put up by the state security itself, then, no matter what it says, the person will only get paid if the criminal was brought alive. The lawmen work only to get paid for it, rather than getting into any sort of legalities.
It also must be noticed that private individual hires a lawman to track down an alleged criminal. Thus, the lawmen work to ensure that he got the lion’s share of the reward after doing a little and then collecting the body from the private citizen- after he has done his part. Then finally handing it over to the sheriff to get paid from both the sides.
Summing up
Yes, the posters of wanted criminal dead or alive, is a real thing, but that does not allow a person to kill them once you got hold of them legally. If you still do so, then you might find your “Wanted” poster next in the line.
