Dallas Police said a man is dead after a homeowner shot a suspect accused of making threats, harassing the neighborhood and trying to break into several cars.
Police said on Saturday, July 30 around 11:03 p.m. , officers responded to a shooting in the 2600 block of Quinto Drive. DPD said the suspect was accused of threating to kill a homeowner, while pretending to have a weapon. Police said the suspect charged at the homeowner twice, and was then shot by the homeowner.
The suspect later died at a local hospital, according to police.
DPD said the homeowner who shot the victim, was cooperating with officers and was not taken into custody. It will be up to a grand jury to determine if any charges are presented.
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The medical examiner has not released the identity of the suspect pending the next of kin.
What to do if in similar situation?
While the details of what specifically happened before, during and after the shooting remain under investigation, a local group that provides legal services for gunowners said it's important for homeowners to be prepared in the event they find themselves in a situation defending themselves or property.
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"It’s one of those things where, I keep a fire extinguisher at home, but I hope it never catches fire, it’s a situation you prepare for but you never want to be in that situation," said Pliny Gale, director of marketing at Firearms Legal Protection.
Gale said their company is not involved in this case.
"The second you see something that maybe suspicious or maybe a threat, proactively call police get them alerted, make sure they’re on the way because a lot of times it takes several minutes for the police to arrive, and anytime we’re talking about anything related to force or legal force, that should be your very last option.”
He said it's advised that people deter the situation first before taking any type of action with a weapon.
"Call the police, yell, do anything you can to let these people know that if they’re trying to break into your home to go away, that they’re not welcomed, that you don’t want this. Don’t ever make threats, don’t ever say, ‘I have a weapon,' don’t say anything like that. The goal is to deescalate the situation and to calm things down not to escalate the situation," said Gale.
“In Texas, if it’s on your property or anywhere you have a right to be, you have a right to protect yourself if you have a reasonable fear of bodily harm or if there’s a crime being committed such as robbery, sexual assault, murder or anything like that," said Gale. “So if you’re in your own home and there is a home invasion and you have a reasonable fear of bodily harm, you can defend yourself legally and so many people get into the situation of, 'When can I shoot? Should I shoot?' and I think the question we always need to ask is, ‘Must I shoot?’ If you have no other option and you are forced to defend yourself, then take that action, but if you have any other options that’s always recommended."
He said they also provide counseling services since many times it's traumatic experience.
"There’s a lot of people who have a lot of brave talk on the internet, but it comes down to really being prepared. This is a critical situation that you only want to use violent force if you have to because it’s going to change your life," said Gale. "It’s going to mess you up mentally , emotionally, maybe financially, maybe legally, so you need to be prepared with an attorney like I mentioned earlier, then it’s also good to have somebody to talk to after this."
Gale explained that having an attorney is important because navigating Texas laws can be confusing.
He said even if a homeowner does everything according to the book, police will still investigate, ask questions and may even possibly take someone into custody since someone else is injured.
“So what we always recommend to our members is call the police first and then immediately call our hotline and we’ll send an attorney to help you out through that incident because it’s going to be a lot of questions, there is going to be an investigation because even if you did everything right, you’re going to have to tell that in front of a jury. Police are never just going to take somebody’s story and immediately assume that’s correct, they’re going to investigate and want to know more," said Gale.
