INDIANAPOLIS — One man is dead following an attempted home invasion on Indy’s near northwest side. IMPD reports the number of self-defense and non-criminal homicides has risen dramatically so far this year.
Just after 4 o’clock Thursday morning, a man told police he yelled at a would-be intruder to get off his porch, then opened fire when the stranger became aggressive.
“The homeowner reported an individual was attempting to break into the residence and the person responsible is cooperating with detectives,” said IMPD Lt. Shane Foley.
The man who lives in the home didn’t want to go on camera but admitted he killed a man on his front porch after that person tried to break into the home.
The front door of the home is now covered in plastic after shots were fired through the glass. The shooter claims the man he killed repeatedly kicked his wall, threw a chair, and tried to pry open the front door with a knife.
Police reports describe the shooting as an attempted home invasion and the gunman was not arrested.
“Inside your home, you can defend with lethal force on an intruder. Period,” said attorney John Tompkins.
Attorney Tompkins says Indiana law gives people a lot of freedom to defend their homes.
“At home, you can act as the aggressor and initiate contact with an intruder. Outside the home, you can’t be the aggressor. There it has to be something you’re trying to stop,” said Tompkins.
In January, police say a man tried to stop and killed an armed carjacker at a Marathon gas station on Thompson Road. Another man killed two armed robbers at a Budget 8 Inn on East 21st and a home invasion on Rawles Avenue ended with the alleged intruder dead.
A special prosecutor has been requested to determine if claims of self-defense apply to a deadly shooting at Castleton Square Mall. Several family members and community leaders have urged criminal charges to be filed in that case, but no decisions have been made.
So far, IMPD says 8 of this year’s 22 homicides have been cleared as either potentially non-criminal or accidental. That’s why Tompkins offered everyone some free legal advice.
“Out in public don’t start anything, but if you truly believe someone’s life is in danger, you’re entitled to protect them or yourself,” said Tompkins.
As a comparison to this year, IMPD only had one non-criminal homicide on this date each of the last two years.
