Suspected burglar fatally shot outside North Braddock house
Police have not decided whether to charge a North Braddock homeowner who fatally shot a suspected burglar who advanced on him at gunpoint.
Alan Lamont White, 44, of Wilkinsburg died from a gunshot wound in the chest, said a forensic investigator with the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. Authorities pronounced White dead at the scene, and his death was ruled a homicide.
About 1:10 a.m., police responded to Grandview Avenue for a 911 call about a man being shot, said Lt. Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County Police.
White appeared to be attempting to steal aluminum downspouts when the 62-year-old homeowner confronted him and called 911.
A guns-rights advocate who helped craft Pennsylvania's stand-your-ground law said the shooting was justified if White advanced toward the homeowner.
“If you were in this situation and it happened to you, would you be willing to let the situation advance to the point you might be hurt?” said Kim Stolfer of McDonald, chair of Firearm Owners Against Crime.
The state's Castle Doctrine law, passed in 2011, expanded a person's right to use deadly force in self-defense.
Under the law, a presumption exists that any attacker or intruder who is in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering a dwelling, residence or occupied vehicle intends to do great bodily harm to any occupants. A legal presumption also exists that anyone inside can use deadly force to protect himself or herself.
Police did not say whether White was carrying a weapon. That would affect whether the law comes into play, said University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris.
“No weapon, no Castle Doctrine,” he said.
Still, the homeowner could be protected under traditional self-defense laws.
“But you are only allowed to use a reasonable amount of force to what you believe are the threats against you, or proportional force only,” Harris said.
Jason Cato is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7936 or jcato@tribweb.com.
