A few minutes past 2 a.m., in a quiet neighborhood in Lewisville, N.C., several men burst through the door of a darkened home. Inside the residence were two men and a woman, and while some of the invaders beat one man, the others ransacked the house. However, during the commotion, one resident managed to contact a neighbor who hurried to help—bringing his AR-15.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the neighbor encountered the suspects and fired several shots, one round fatally striking 23-year-old Horace Wayne Vanlue Jr. Responding officers found a gun lying next to Vanlue, as well as items taken from the home. The whereabouts of the other suspects were not disclosed.
While the neighbor handed over his firearm to authorities, Kimya Dennis—assistant professor of sociology and criminal studies at Salem College—says this should fall under North Carolina’s castle doctrine provision. “This means the shooter was defending and protecting the neighbor as well as himself,” Dennis said.
