PEARL RIVER COUNTY, MS — A man pointed a rifle at a homeowner who was more than ready for this dangerous situation. It wasn’t immediately clear why the confrontation happened to begin with, but it ended with the apparent aggressor deceased.
Local news reports on the incident;
The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident that ended with a fatal shooting Thursday night. Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said it all happened at a home on Carey Byrd Rd. around 8 p.m.
Tucker said Marty Lee, 43, went to the home armed with a rifle and was “angry with the homeowner.” Tucker said it’s unclear what Lee’s intentions were “but it wasn’t anything good.”
According to Tucker, an argument broke out and Lee pointed his rifle at the homeowner.
According to Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage, Lee was shot once in the abdomen.
The homeowner didn’t have any injuries. Police say that it looks like a clear-cut case of self-defense, but it will go in front of a grand jury, as with any incident such as this one.
With a story like this, it is possible to take lessons from both sides. On one side, we have the homeowner and his knowledge of how to be a responsibly armed citizen and acting in self-defense. And, on the other hand, Lee shows us how NOT to “use your gun power” to threaten someone.
But now let’s talk… Do you know about the Self-Defense Laws in your state? We’ve already talked about before, but let’s share it again for those of you who may have missed it.
Three Basic Tenants of Self-Defense Law to be Aware of:
1) Recognize Imminence: Only a threat that poses an imminent and reasonable risk of death or grave bodily harm to yourself or others justifies a lethal force response.
2) Appropriate Force: You only have the legal right to use the force necessary to neutralize a threat. Anything further than neutralization may be considered excessive force.
3) Maintain Innocence: You must be an innocent party in the confrontation for you to argue that you used self-defense, not an active aggressor that starts or escalates a situation.
It’s a lot of reading in the 3-part series linked above, but it’s worth your time if you’re interested in this topic. And if you’re a gun owner, you should be.