Latest news with #Self-DefenseAct
Miami Herald
10-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Homeowner fatally shoots teen garage intruder, MI cops say. Will he be charged?
A homeowner in Michigan fatally shot a 17-year-old boy accused of breaking into his garage, authorities say. Two days after the July 8 shooting in White Lake, an investigation into whether the homeowner is justified for his actions is ongoing. White Lake Township Chief of Police Daniel Keller said in a news release the homeowner was alerted through his video surveillance system that seven individuals had broken into his detached garage. He exited his home and fired multiple shots at the accused intruders, who all fled the scene, police said. Officers later learned two 17-year-olds — one at a hospital and one near the hospital — had been shot, Lt. Matthew Ivory said in a news briefing streamed by WDIV. First responders provided lifesaving care to the teens, but one died from their injuries, Ivory said. Police said two arrests were made, including a juvenile who was released to their parents. The second arrested individual, an adult, has 'pending issues with other jurisdictions that he will have to take care of' before being released, Ivory said. The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office will review the police department's findings to determine if the homeowner will be charged. 'It's hard to give advice on that,' Ivory said when asked about homeowners protecting their property. 'You do have the right to protect your life and I just hope it doesn't come to that. We want to be a safe community and we ask that people stay safe. Obviously as soon as you realize something is going on, the faster we know, the faster we can get there.' Will homeowner be charged? What experts say Experts believe the homeowner could face charges, including the possibility of second-degree murder. The Self-Defense Act, also called the Stand Your Ground law, allows someone to use lethal force to defend themselves. The Castle Doctrine, meanwhile, allows a person to protect themselves with lethal force inside their home. Making matters complicated in the White Lake incident, defense attorney Jim Makowski told WXYZ, is that the shooting took place in a detached garage away from the home. 'Now, if you've got a detached garage, that's outside the curtilage of your house,' Makowski told the news outlet. 'It's not attached to your house. If it was an attached garage and someone was breaking in with a doorway into the house, again that's part of the dwelling.' Only the homeowner fired shots in the White Lake shooting, police said. It's unclear if any of the accused intruders were armed. Former police officer Bill Kucyk said the homeowner is not justified in the shooting because there is no evidence suggesting he was physically threatened, according to WJBK. Charlie Langton, WJBK's legal analyst, said the law does not allow someone 'to use deadly force to protect their property.' A charge of second-degree murder is likely, according to Langton, because he confronted the suspects outside his home. White Lake is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Teen killed after White Lake Twp. homeowner shot at group who entered his garage
A 17-year-old was killed and another was hospitalized after an Oakland County homeowner opened fire on a group of people who police say entered the homeowner's garage early on Tuesday, July 8. Around 1 a.m., seven individuals entered the detached garage of a residence in the 9000 block of Mandon Drive in White Lake Township, according to a news release from the White Lake Township police department. The homeowner, who had been alerted by a video surveillance system, exited the house and fired multiple shots toward the group. All seven fled the scene on foot, White Lake Township police said. Oakland County Central Dispatch later notified White Lake Township officers that two people with gunshot wounds had been located in Commerce Township — one at Huron Valley Hospital and another near the hospital. One of the 17-year-olds died from his injuries, police said. The other is in stable condition and remains hospitalized as of Tuesday afternoon. More: Warren man to spend decades in prison after killing roommate, hiding his body Police said two people suspected of involvement in the garage break-in were arrested, and officers continue to search for other suspects. It remains unclear whether the homeowner could face charges. Michigan's Self-Defense Act allows individuals to use deadly force without first trying to retreat, as long as they are not committing a crime and are somewhere they have a legal right to be. The law, outlined in MCL 780.972, permits deadly force if a person honestly and reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm or sexual assault. A related statute, MCL 780.951 presumes the use of force is justified if someone unlawfully enters a home, business or occupied vehicle. The case is under investigation and will be submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for review, police said. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 248-698-4404. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: White Lake Twp. homeowner fatally shoots teen, injures another
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Demonstrators rally ahead of former GRPD officer's trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A group of people gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse Monday morning to show their support for former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, who was charged with murder in the death of Patrick Lyoya. The Back the Blue Michigan Facebook page post asked them to gather with signs, blue line flags and bracelets that say 'Stand with Schurr.' Updates from day 1 of trial Schurr's trial for second-degree murder began Monday morning, with the prosecutor working to show the jury Schurr was not justified in shooting Lyoya following a traffic stop in April 2022 and Schurr's defense arguing he acted in self-defense because Schurr and Lyoya were grappling over Schurr's Taser. 'We feel confident that he will be found not guilty because he did what he had to do, he did what he was trained to do. He was in the fight for his life. He deserved to go home at the end of the day,' demonstration organizer Kathleen Walsh told News 8. Walsh is from the East Coast and has never met Schurr, but said she comes from a law enforcement family and has followed the case in the news. Michigan Rep. James DeSana, R-Carleton, spoke at the demonstration, arguing Schurr acted in self-defense. 'I stand with you all today to defend the right to self-defense,' DeSana said. 'The right to use lethal force when necessary, when our lives are threatened.' He said that last week, he introduced House Bill 4404, which he said would 'strengthen' the state's 2006 Self-Defense Act and 'make Michigan's self-defense protections among the strongest in the nation.' He said that right now, defendants must prove self-defense in any civil lawsuits after a criminal determination is made. '(H.B. 4404) creates a presumption of civil immunity after a favorable criminal outcome, shifting the burden onto the plaintiffs to prove otherwise,' DeSana said. 'It also explicitly covers the threatened use of force — people who might warn an attacker versus someone who just uses force without warning an attacker — which is not clearly protected under current law.' Lyoya's family has filed a civil wrongful death suit against Schurr. One friend of Patrick Lyoya, Rurimunzu Matendo, stood among the Schurr supporters with a cardboard sign that read, '#Justice for Patrick.' 'His Life Mattered. He was a Father and a brother,' Matendo's sign said. Schurr prosecution expert said in 2022 that video was not 'proof positive' of crime On Sunday, demonstrators marched through downtown calling for the jury to convict Schurr. There were similar protests in the weeks after Lyoya's death in April 2022. 'Nobody's child should lose their life over a traffic stop if they're unarmed and the situation should be deescalated by police,' one of the demonstrators said Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
