A man in St. Louis, Missouri, is being investigated for murder after he killed an intruder who broke into his home over the weekend.
What happened?
The incident reportedly occurred Sunday evening on the 3900 block of Dunnica Avenue in the city’s Dutchtown neighborhood, the St. Louis Dispatch reported.
Police said a 34-year-old woman broke into the 46-year-old man’s residence at approximately 6:20 p.m. That’s when the man confronted the woman and placed her in a chokehold until she died. By the time officers arrived on the scene, the woman was dead.
The Post-Dispatch reported that police took the man into custody and are seeking warrants for first-degree involuntary manslaughter. The Associated Press and other media outlets, however, have reported that police said they are investigating the incident as a homicide.
Information about the incident remains scarce. Police have not released the names of either of the individuals involved, nor have they provided any more detail about the incident not included in this report.
TheBlaze reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on Monday seeking more information but was unable to get an immediate response. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
What else?
Missouri is a “stand your ground” law state, meaning it has legislation on the books that aims to protect residents who injure or kill someone while defending themselves or a third party.
But according to KTVI-TV, Missouri lawmakers have recently tried to strengthen the state’s law. In December 2021, Republican state Sen. Eric Burlison filed legislation that would grant criminal immunity to residents who use deadly force in self-defense unless the force is used against an on-duty law enforcement officer.
Under Missouri’s current “stand your ground” law, someone using deadly force in self-defense is required to prove he or she reasonably believed such force was necessary to defend themselves.
However, the current law does carve out a protection for those who use deadly force against someone who unlawfully enters their property or place of occupancy.
According to the statute, a person is allowed to use deadly force in self-defense if “such force is used against a person who unlawfully enters, remains after unlawfully entering, or attempts to unlawfully enter private property that is owned or leased by an individual.”
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