Oakland County man who fatally shot garage burglar due in court for manslaughter, assault charges
WHITE LAKE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man who shot and killed a burglar he caught breaking into his garage in White Lake Township is set to appear in court Thursday morning.
Watch Dayton Knapton's preliminary examination live above at 8:30 a.m.
Knapton, 24, is charged with manslaughter, assault with intent to murder, and several weapons offenses for the shooting last summer that killed a 17-year-old.
The backstory:
Police said Knapton spotted seven people entering his detached garage in the 9000 block of Mandon Drive on a security camera shortly after 1 a.m. July 8 and went outside. That's when he started shooting at the group as they left the garage, causing them to run away.
After the shooting, White Lake Township police were notified that a 17-year-old was near Huron Valley Hospital in Commerce Township, while another 17-year-old was at the hospital.
One of those gunshot victims died while the other one was receiving medical treatment for their injuries.
A neighbor who heard the gunshots said it was the third time someone had broken into the garage. That witness believes the suspects were after dirt bikes. His attorney confirmed this during a court hearing, saying Knapton had added a motion detector to his property because of attempted burglaries.
Dig deeper:
When prosecutors charged Knapton months after the shooting, they said he shot into his garage through a windowless, locked door, and then allegedly fired five more shots as the burglars fled.
Experts have argued that, based on the facts currently known, he was not justified in shooting the intruders.
FOX 2 legal analyst Charlie Langton said that while the law does allow you to protect yourself with deadly force, that does not apply to property.
"The law is very, very clear - you do not have a right to use deadly force to protect your property," Langton said, noting that a person has to be in imminent danger to utilize deadly force. "The law says you can use deadly force to defend yourself, your body, against imminent physical harm or sexual abuse or in a vehicle."
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The Source: Previous reporting was used in this story.