Armed home invader wearing Insane Clown Posse mask dies after being shot by homeowner

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that a 17-year-old boy was burglarizing a house in Prairie Township when the homeowner shot him early on Saturday.

From the article:

Reb Barbee was armed with a knife and wearing an Insane Clown Posse mask when he was shot in the living room of 8798 Hubard Dr. S, investigators said.

...

Barbee, shot in the shoulder, and three other youths ran about a half-mile to Barbee’s home on Dovalon Place, and waited an hour before calling for help around 6 a.m., investigators said.

Barbee died shortly after arriving at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital.

The complaints against the other three say they helped Barbee enter the house through a window.

Brandon J. Hamilton and Tyler R. Blazer, both 17, are charged with delinquency counts of complicity to aggravated burglary.

Adam D. Pickens, 18, faces the adult charge of complicity to aggravated burglary. He appeared in court this morning, with bail set at $250,000.

As can be heard from the 911 call placed by one of Barbee's alleged accomplices and by the inconsistent statements given, the young men waited to seek help for fear of getting in trouble. It is entirely possible Barbee's life could have been saved had they immediately sought medical treatment.

According to the article, murder charges will be filed against Hamilton, Blazer and Pickens. Ohio law allows co-conspirators to be charged with murder if someone dies while committing a first-or second-degree felony such as robbery or burglary.

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.