Ohio man shoots dead two teenagers after finding them trespassing in his garage at night, then calls 911
DAYTON, OHIO: A homeowner fatally shot two teenagers who he claimed were "trespassing" on his property on Wednesday.
After shooting 17-year-olds Devon Henderson and Javier Harrison in his "garage" around 9.30 pm, the homeowner, who has not been identified, immediately called 911 to report the incident. "I shot two guys. I shot two persons (who) tried to rob, do something in my house," the shooter told the emergency dispatcher.
He then repeated, "I had to shot two persons right here. They are with me here."
He then told the dispatcher that he as going to put his gun on the floor and that he was standing in front of his house, Daily Mail reported.
When asked if the individuals he shot were dead, the person replied, "I can't see because it's dark... They’re on the floor in the garage."
According to Dayton Daily News, investigators have so far been able to determine that the homeowner fired multiple shots from a .38-caliber revolver when he encountered three individuals in his garage which was detached from his home.
The three trespassers were in a car when the homeowner went outside with his firearm after hearing some kind of noise.
The third individual, whose name was not revealed by the police, was not hit by gunfire. He tried to flee when the police and firefighters arrived at the scene but was soon arrested on a pending charge of breaking and entering.
All the three boys knew each other but the exact nature of their relationship has not been revealed.
“It’s deeply tragic that two 17-year-olds lost their lives in this incident,” Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said Thursday afternoon. He added that “There was some drug activity occurring at that time” of the incident “but exactly what they were doing, intending to do, is not clear.”
Although it was unclear what the three individuals were doing at the homeowner's garage, Javier's father Jimmy said that the shooter knew the victims and that they had been in his property before the recent incident.
"It wasn’t in your house, it was in your garage," Jimmy said. "That’s like 10 feet away from your house, you know so that means you’re seeing some perps out there at your garage, you know, so my first instinct is to call the police."
The police said that they still have a long way to go in the investigation, which also included searching the teenager's vehicle. Since the law on self-defense has changed, the burden will fall on prosecutors to prove that that the shooting of the two teens was in fact a criminal act.