UPDATE: An Ohio father who fatally shot his daughter’s ex-boyfriend after he tried to break into their home will not be facing charges, news outlets report.
A grand jury voted 8-1 against indicting the Sidney man in the July 31 shooting of 22-year-old James Rayl, WHIO reported.
Officials expected this outcome, in large part because of Ohio’s “Stand Your Ground” and “Castle Doctrine” laws, which allow a homeowner to defend themselves without any legal duty to retreat, Shelby County prosecutor Tim Sell told the outlet.
The original story continues below.
A 22-year-old man was shot and killed after smashing through the front door of an Ohio home, while the homeowner stood armed on the other side, authorities told news outlets.
In a 911 call to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office around 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 31, a woman said her ex-boyfriend tried to break into her home in Sidney, TV station WDTN reported.
The woman’s ex, James Douglas Rayl, started banging on the door of the home, and her father armed himself with a gun and ordered Rayl to go away, she told the sheriff’s office, the station reported.
Video taken by a doorbell camera captured Rayl pounding away at the door, investigators told WKEF.
Despite a warning from the woman’s father, Rayl started ramming the door with his shoulder, eventually busting it open and going inside, the outlet reported.
The father fired three shots and Rayl backed out of the house, collapsing close to the garage, according to the station.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office told WHIO.
An investigation is underway, and the case will be brought before a grand jury, the station reported.
This story was originally published August 01, 2022 11:22 AM.