PULASKI COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Early Friday morning, a breaking and entering suspect in Pulaski was killed after police say he was shot by the homeowner.
The incident happened on Madison Avenue South just outside of downtown.
Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect who was killed or further details on what led to deadly force being used by the resident.
“The bottom line is you cannot use deadly force to protect property,” said Dr. Tod Burke, a local criminologist and former police officer. “There must be an imminent fear of death or serious bodily harm to yourself or to others.”
Burke said homeowners have the right to remove trespassers from their property, just not by use of deadly force.
Under laws surrounding self-defense, several contextual factors must be considered when deadly force is used.
“If the other person is retreating, and no longer presents that imminent threat, then it’s very difficult to claim self-defense,” said Burke.
Other factors, such as whether trespassing has taken place, or whether the intruder is in possession of a weapon, are critical details as well.