BEDFORD COUNTY, VIRGINIA — A man was killed after forcing his way into the home of his estranged wife Friday evening. The woman called the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office just after 7:15 p.m. and said that her estranged husband had broken into her home and was armed with a knife. She also said that he had been shot.
Responding deputies arrived to find a man with multiple gunshot wounds in the home, located in the 1000 block of Commonwealth Circle in Forest. He was pronounced dead at the scene and identified as Daniel Wayne Eades, 40, of Gretna.
According to statements obtained by investigators, the woman opened the door, after which the man forced his way into the home and attempted to attack her with a knife. Another man inside the home who witnessed the attack located a handgun and shot the suspect several times.
The Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy on Eades’ body. Neither the woman nor the male occupant of the home was injured, and no charges have been filed. Multiple knives and the handgun used in the shooting were recovered at the scene and the investigation is continuing.
Virginia does not have a codified “Castle Doctrine” law, but case law in the state does support self-defense within a dwelling. The Commonwealth does have “no duty to retreat” laws which do not require a person to attempt to escape an aggressor before using lethal force to stop the threat. A third-party is also justified in using lethal force to protect another person when justified, which usually means that the victim is not responsible for provoking or initiating the attack.
Laws regarding the use of lethal force in defense of oneself or others vary from state to state. Do you know the laws in your state? What about in states where you may be visiting friends or relatives during the holidays, or states where you may be staying in a hotel overnight while traveling through?
