Cincinnati-area homeowner defends own life in home invasion

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that a Union Twp. homeowner shot and wounded an intruder during an attempted robbery earlier this week.

From the article:

Two juveniles, 16 and 17, and a 24-year-old man broke into a home in the 4000 block of Grandview Avenue about 2:30 a.m., said Sgt. Jeff Brown.

The Union Township homeowner grabbed a gun to defend himself from the would-be robbers and shot the 24-year-old while the other two took off in a vehicle.

"The homeowner woke up to a tussle, to sounds of a disturbance, and he defended himself by firing a shot and injuring one of the suspects," the sergeant said. "Nothing is clear cut until our investigation runs its course, but preliminary investigation indicates this was a homeowner defending his property. But, things aren't always as they seem, unfortunately, in our line of work."

The wounded suspect, identified as Demetrius Robinson of Cincinnati, staggered door-to-door pleading for help while neighbors called 911.

Responding officers found him walking down the road. He was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he is undergoing surgery, Brown said.

A police spokesperson said the wounds are life-threatening, and that Robinson will be criminally charged once his medical condition is fully known.

Meanwhile, police developed suspect information on the two juveniles who fled the scene and tracked them by tracing pings on a cell phone to a nearby parking lot in the 400 block of Kaldy Street.

They were sitting in a vehicle and taken into custody.

The 16-year-old male juvenile was charged with felonious assault, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

The 17-year-old female juvenile was charged with complicity to aggravated robbery and complicity to aggravated burglary.

The handgun used in the offense was recovered at the house.

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter an occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense, and will not be second-guessed by the State.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.