Homeowner Shoots And Kills Trespasser After He Refused To Leave And Displayed Gun

TUCSON, ARIZONA — A 51-year-old man is dead after police say he was shot and killed after trespassing on some property. The man was found in the backyard of someone’s home and was shortly after pronounced dead.

Police say the man and others were on the property and should not have been there, and were asked to leave by the homeowners, but they refused. At some point the 51-year-old, identified as Stevan McKinney, displayed a gun. In response and fearing for their life, someone at the home fired his own gun at McKinney, striking him.

The person who shot McKinney is cooperating with police and so far no charges have been filed.

It becomes difficult to analyze these cases without any video evidence or in-depth details about what happened, but the displaying of a firearm in an aggressive manner is in many cases a justified cause for self-defense. One could argue that the people inside the home could remain inside and call police, and only use force if the offenders tried entering the home, but Arizona law (among many other states) will likely find the defender to be in the right.

It is not known if the two groups knew each other, or if any previous altercations occurred before the shooting.