A Michigan man is facing a lengthy prison sentence after killing a youth who broke into his garage, sparking a debate regarding the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
As The New York Post reported on Sunday, 17-year-old Sivan Wilson and six other “mainly teenagers” broke into 24-year-old Dayton Knapton’s garage in White Lake just after 1 a.m. on July 8.
Knapton received an alert from his home security system, grabbed his 9mm semiautomatic handgun, and subsequently took fatal action to resolve the situation.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s office alleges that Knapton left this house and fired two shots through a windowless locked door, which sent the burglars fleeing. Then he continued to fire as they tried to race away to safety.
Knapton then supposedly went back inside his house to reload his gun and returned to the scene.
Wilson fled the scene with his cronies but was struck by one of the bullets. Unfortunately for him, he did not receive medical care for 30 minutes and later died.
Investigators later determined that one of the bullets fired by Knapton through the locked door struck Wilson. Another teenager in the group was also shot in the leg but survived.
On November 7, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced that she would be charging Knapton with multiple crimes, including Manslaughter, Assault With Intent To Do Great Bodily Harm, and two counts of Felony Firearm.
McDonald released the following statement explaining why she decided to pursue charges:
The rights to own firearms and protect one’s family and home are fundamental. Those important rights also come with profound responsibility. Our office worked closely with law enforcement to review the evidence, including the obvious mitigating factors, which led us to these charges.
We believe the evidence demonstrates this defendant crossed the line by firing outside his home at fleeing persons. His actions not only took a life but potentially endangered the surrounding community by firing his weapon into the night.
Knapton faces up to 15 years behind bars for Manslaughter, 10 years for Assault With Intent To Do Great Bodily Harm, and 4 years for the two counts of Felony Firearm. This means he could spend almost 30 YEARS in prison.
Knapton pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been given a $200,000 cash bond.
But this is not enough for the Wilson’s family, who want Knapton charged with murder.
“It doesn’t make sense that it wasn’t done out of malice and for them to charge him with manslaughter when everything in the report suggests that it was malicious intent,” Wilson’s sister, Armani Madden told ClickOnDetroit.
Knapton’s lawyer, Dov Lustig, told the outlet that his client was justified in his actions. He added that Knapton’s home had been broken into multiple times before, but the police had asked him to install a more effective home alarm system.
“This is a case of stone self-defense,” Lustig said.
As The New York Post notes, Michigan law allows residents to use deadly force against someone breaking into their home, provided they have an “honest and reasonable belief” that there’s a threat to their life.
Perhaps the key question is whether Knapton knew the suspects were fleeing and whether Wilson was hit with one of the initial two bullets fired.
It’s also important to note that Knapton was firing through a windowless door, meaning he could not see what he was firing at.
The post Michigan Man Guns Down Teen Who Broke into His Garage – Is Charged With Multiple Crimes Including Manslaughter Despite State’s “Stand Your Ground” Law appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.