This week, a Tennessee man was arrested after he returned fire on thieves trying to steal his van.
A Shelby County resident was alerted by his surveillance system around 2 am Saturday morning that several people had been outside his house using burglary tools to try and break into his van.
The outlet reported that the thieves shot at the man as he stood under the porch light on his home after he walked out.
The homeowner and the suspects are seen in the video shooting each other multiple times.
When the police arrived, his wife reported that the police had begun questioning him.
The wife of the homeowner stated, “It seemed to me that they were trying to find a way to charge him when they talked to him.” “That sounds wrong.” “Why would you pressure the victim, when you should be putting pressure on the suspects?”
The outlet reported that the man admitted to deputies that he could not clearly see the target and had fired shots with his eyes close due to fear that the suspects would flee.
The family of the man who was arrested for reckless endangerment and later released hopes that charges will be dropped.
The suspects are there, the woman told the outlet. “They were probably partying or sleeping [while] they tried to get my husband out of jail for something he was not guilty of.”
The news of the incident was met with criticism, including by Heritage Foundation senior fellow Amy Swearer who did not agree with the police’s explanation as to why the suspect had been arrested.
Swearer wrote in a thread on Twitter: “I am shocked that the homeowner here has been charged with reckless endangerment.” “The police arguments seem absurd to me. He only endangered the people who were shooting at him. “He’s entitled to put them in danger.”
I’m floored that the home owner here is being charged with “reckless endangerment.” The arguments from police seem absurd on their face to me. The only people he endangered were…the ones shooting at him. And he’s 100% entitled to “endanger” them.https://t.co/rrHcyKpjsm
— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) May 16, 2023
Shelby County Sheriff’s Department has not responded to our request for comment.
