Share
News

Hero: Armed Homeowner Takes Matters Into Own Hands After Neighbor Makes Deadly Move

Share

Police in Gig Harbor, Washington, are investigating the death of a 36-year-old man who was found dead inside a local home Friday morning.

Officers discovered the corpse after receiving a phone call at around 7:22 a.m. that day reporting gunfire at a home near 66th Ave. NW and 87th St. NW, according to a news release from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

According to police, the 36-year-old man was killed by the 59-year-old homeowner.

Officers learned that the dead man and his girlfriend fought Thursday night.


The fight ended with her going to the neighbor’s home to spend the evening. The woman had an active no-contact order against her boyfriend at the time, police said.

On Friday morning, the boyfriend went to the 59-year-old man’s home and began allegedly making threats against his girlfriend and the home’s other inhabitants.

He soon began to try to break in, police said, at which point the homeowner discharged his firearm, leaving the 36-year-old man dead on the home’s back porch, according to KTTV.

Do you think there's more than what meets the eye in the case?

Police took the shooter into custody and later released him. No charges have yet been filed. The case remains under investigation.

“Once the investigation is completed detectives will forward it to the prosecutors office for review,” the sheriff’s department said in its statement.

Washington state law allows one to use force in self-defense if they’re a “party about to be injured” or helping someone “about to be injured.”

State law explicitly allows force “in preventing or attempting to prevent an offense against his or her person, or a malicious trespass, or other malicious interference with real or personal property lawfully in his or her possession.”

However, according to state law, one may not use more than necessary force.

Washington State follows the “Stand your ground” rule when it comes to self-defense, according to gun law attorney William K. Kirk.

Related:
Watch: Chick-fil-A Employee Uses His Karate Training to Fight Off Armed Robber

The “Stand your ground” law does not impose a “duty to retreat” — a requirement that a person retreats to a safe place if possible, instead of opting to use force in self-defense against an assailant or potential assailant first.

Whether the 59-year-old’s actions constitute “necessary force” is a matter that would be decided by the courts following a police investigation.

According to Kirk, in Washington, courts may look at both “subjective” and “objective” factors when determining if a particular act constituted legal “self-defense.”

“A jury may find self-defense on the basis of the defendant’s subjective, reasonable belief of imminent harm from the victim; given this subjective component, the jury need not find actual imminent harm,” Kirk said.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , ,
Share
News reporter and international affairs analyst published and syndicated in over 100 national and international outlets, including The National Interest, The Daily Caller, and The Western Journal. Covers international affairs, security, and U.S. politics. Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies candidate at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs
News reporter and international affairs analyst published and syndicated in over 100 national and international outlets, including The National Interest, The Daily Caller, and The Western Journal. Covers international affairs, security, and U.S. politics. Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies candidate at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @RealAndrewJose
Education
Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
Location
Washington, District of Columbia
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, French, Russian
Topics of Expertise
International Politics, National Security, U.S. Politics




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation