By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
The fatal shooting of a crazed home invader by an armed resident in North Bend, WA was called a clear-cut case of self-defense by sheriff’s deputies, and a “text book exercise” of the so-called “Castle Doctrine” by gun rights activists.
TGM learned that the dead man had been dropped off at a nearby I-90 interchange after an evening of heavy drinking and possible drug use, after threatening to “kill anyone that tries to stop me” to his companions, identified by one source as his step-father and a friend. The suspect had been in nearby Issaquah, about 15 miles away, where the drinking occurred.
The incident began when a clerk at one of two gas stations at the interchange called the King County Sheriff’s Department to report a crazed man wandering between the two stations, harassing customers. By the time deputies arrived, the man had left.
About an hour later, reports from homeowners in the nearby residential area were called in about a man banging on doors and yelling outside. Deputies responded to those calls only to find the suspect had once again disappeared, but they heard loud noises from a nearby residence about the same time the dispatcher notified them about a home invader.
Deputies raced to the scene while the final, fatal act of the drama was played out inside the house, where a 46-year-old man and his girlfriend had been awakened by the sound of smashing glass. The suspect had thrown a propane tank through their sliding doors and was inside the house, threatening to kill them.
The homeowner, while his girlfriend was talking to sheriff’s dispatchers, yelled at the suspect that he was armed and to get out. The couple had locked themselves in the bedroom, and when the suspect crashed through the door, the homeowner fired at least three shots from a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. The suspect staggered down the hallway a few feet, collapsed and died at the scene.
Public reaction to the shooting was overwhelmingly supportive of the homeowner, who will not likely face any charges. Washington State court precedent has upheld the “stand-your-ground” principle for almost a hundred years, and because this happened inside the shooter’s residence, the “Castle Doctrine” also applies, even though there is no specific state statute defining either Stand Your Ground or Castle Doctrine in the Evergreen State.
King County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West told TGM that the homeowner showed remarkable restraint and could have actually fired earlier in the confrontation. The entire incident was apparently captured on recorders in the department’s call/dispatch center.
“The resident showed quite a bit of restraint,” West said in a press release. “He continued to yell at the suspect to leave the house and said he was armed. The couple even locked themselves in a room to try to avoid a confrontation. They had no way of knowing if the suspect was armed. The resident was clearly forced to shoot to defend himself and his girlfriend.”
Interim Sheriff Steve Strachan told KOMO radio in an interview two days after the shooting that the suspect had possibly also been under the influence of cocaine as well as alcohol.
The incident happened coincidentally with the national debate about “Stand Your Ground” laws and the Treyvon Martin shooting in Florida. In the Washington case, there was no dispute about self-defense, because the actual shooting occurred inside a residence, late at night and the homeowner had taken refuge in the bedroom.
Sources told TGM that the homeowner was so distraught about the shooting that both he and his girlfriend refused to go back into the house. They moved their belongings out. They reportedly were renting the home.
It was not known whether the shooter had a concealed pistol license, but it would not have mattered anyway. In Washington, there is no license or permit requirement to have a loaded gun inside one’s own residence for personal protection.
