long island man shoots ding dong ditcher with shotgun

[Kaleva]

35. Pounding on a door isn't the same as kicking one in.

You can assume the worst if they kicked in the door and are in the house. The average male in good physical shape can kick in a standard door in seconds.

The other mistake the gun owner did was to close the distance with a potential protagonist. One retreats to or stays in a designated safe room and calls the police. Advancing towards a possible protagonist seemed with a gun puts one in the mindset that deadly force is likely to be used.

A gun is just one tool in the toolbox of home defense. The other tools are reinforced doors, adequate exterior lighting a designated safe room and a plan on what to do in case there is an intruder. And one practices that plan. A lot of people make the mistake of just getting a gun and calling it good.

The fact that the homeowner shot through the glass on the door leads me to believe the homeowner put little thought into home defense. You wouldn't have a door with glass if one was serious about home defense.

In Michigan, one can legally use deadly force to protect themselves or others from death or great bodily harm or sexual assault but you can't use deadly force to protect property. The castle doctrine applies only if someone has broken into the home or is attempting to break into the home and the residents of the home can then reasonably assume they are in danger of sexual assault, grave bodily injury or death. IMO, pounding on a door isn't breaking in or attempting to break in.