Police say a Jackson, Miss., homeowner shot an attempted home invader who was breaking into his home through a sliding-glass door Wednesday morning, WJTV reports. The would-be home invader was killed by a single shot to the chest from the homeowner’s shotgun.
“I think it was a terrible decision on the part of the deceased, and it cost him his life,” said Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance. When reporters pressed the police chief to comment on Mississippi’s Castle Doctrine, which protects residents’ right to defend their homes with force, Chief Vance came down on the side of the lawful victim.
“It’s a tragedy for him as well,” Vance said. “I don’t think anybody intentionally, no matter what the circumstances, looks forward to taking someone else’s life. But in this particular situation, he had no other choice. All the actions that were taken were dictated on the part of the suspect.”
