Two Cincinnati self-defense shootings grab headlines

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Friday on the second of two self-defense shootings in that city in a matter of days.

From the story:

Jamie Buck was asleep early Friday when a sledgehammer shattered his side door’s window and a stranger burst into his rented home, demanding money or jewelry.

That was the last demand Millard Brandenburg would ever make.

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The story continues:

Brandenburg, 31, was shot to death inside Buck’s Bishop Avenue home early Friday, seven weeks after Brandenburg’s latest release from jail. A preliminary investigation suggests the shooting was justified, authorities say.

Buck, who told police he was hit in the head with the sledgehammer, was treated at Fort Hamilton Hospital. He told police in a 911 call that he shot the intruder.

Brandenburg suffered a fatal gunshot to the head, three shots in the chest and a fifth shot in the left side, Butler County Coroner Richard Burkhardt said.

Brandenburg tested positive for alcohol use; tests showing his blood-alcohol level and any other drugs were being processed, the coroner said.

The newspaper reports that during the past decade, Brandenburg had been cited into Hamilton Municipal Court on more than two dozen offenses, and served two state prison terms. Most recently, the paper reports he was locked up in Butler County’s minimum security jail, from July 12, 2006 until Feb. 2, 2007 for failing to comply with police orders.

The Enquirer notes that the sledgehammer home invasion follows a similar incident in Covington (KY) earlier in the week, in which a man fatally shot an acquaintance.

Authorities are quoted as saying that so far, it appears both men were acting in self-defense and are unlikely to face charges.