If someone breaks into your home, in many states, it's considered justified to use lethal force. It's called the Castle Doctrine, and it hinges on the whole "a man's home is his castle" thing. But what about your garage?
Well, one Michigan man tried to answer that question and may have guessed wrong.
It started with someone breaking into the man's garage, and as of right now, it's ending with the homeowner in handcuffs:
A Michigan man fatally shot a teen who broke into his garage and is now facing a manslaughter rap — sparking controversy over the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Sivan Wilson, 17, was with six other mainly teenagers when the group broke into Dayton Knapton’s garage in White Lake shortly after 1 a.m. July 8, authorities said.
Knapton, 24, got an alert from his home security system, grabbed a .9mm gun, ran outside and fired two shots into the garage through a windowless door, striking Wilson, according to prosecutors and cops.
As the group fled, Knapton fired five more shots before going back into his house, reloading his gun and returning outside, according to a statement by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Sivan was running away and got shot,” said Shawn Madden, Wilson’s father, to a local news outlet.
Michigan, despite its recent slide toward gun control, is a Castle Doctrine state, which means one can defend their home from a threat. The problem arises due to two factors.
One is that while the garage is, at a minimum, part of the home's curtilage – a term that means the area surrounding the home and is legally considered an extension of it – it's often not considered so when it comes to Castle Doctrine laws because it's not living space. That doesn't seem to be the key issue, though.
No, it was that Knapton is accused of shooting at the group as they ran away. Even in the most permissive Stand Your Ground or Castle Doctrine state, that's going to be a no-no. If someone is running away from you, unless they're firing over their shoulder or something similar, they're not a threat any longer. You can't just shoot at them because they made you angry or something.
And, frankly, shooting through the door when you don't know what's on the other side is weapons-grade stupidity, too. Joe Biden told people to do that, in case you needed evidence of just how idiotic it is. However, that doesn't seem to be the major point of contention:
“This defendant crossed the line by firing outside his home at fleeing persons,” prosecutor Karen McDonald said of Knapton. “His actions not only took a life but potentially endangered the surrounding community by firing his weapon into the night.”
Of course, this will go to court, and Knapton will have an opportunity to defend himself. The jury may be made aware of some factor that the New York Post isn't aware of that will justify his actions. For his sake, I hope so.
However, I'd also like to advise you all not to take a chance that your own local prosecutor will be more forgiving. Don't shoot at people running away unless they're shooting at you while doing it.
