Michigan Self-Defense: Man killed after breaking into home :: 04/28/2018

It started with a frantic 9-1-1 call from a woman whose husband was fighting with an intruder.
It ended with the couple escaping and the intruder dead.

As of Friday night, police have taken down the tape that had Jones st. near downtown Lansing blocked off all morning.
Police were called to a home in the 400 block of Jones St. after a man broke in in the middle of the night.

The intruder was dead before they arrived.

"Original dispatch call was a 911 with an unknown trouble, it came in because there was a lot of screaming," said Robert Merritt, Lansing Police Public Information Officer.

It's generally a quiet neighborhood, according to neighbors.

"I'm not aware of this being a block of any trouble for that matter, what you got from the residences is fairly accurate," said Merritt.

Turned into a crime scene around 2 am Friday.

"It turned psychical between the homeowners and the intruder and unfortunately the intruder is deceased inside that residence," said Merritt.

The homeowners, a husband and wife, had just come outside when police arrived. They told us the couple had the kind of injuries you'd expected to see from a physical altercation. Both are expected to be ok.

Police haven't released an official cause of death for the intruder.
We asked about a knife that was seen outside the home.

Merritt responded, "It was recovered, and I will tell you that it's part of the case."

Police aren't saying if this was definitely a case of self-defense. But deadly force is legal in Michigan under certain circumstances.

"I do know that you have a right to defend your property and your life. You have to be willing to say your life was in jeopardy or a family member's life was in jeopardy for you to physically engage or take another person's life," explained Merritt.

Police told News 10 the intruder and the homeowners didn't know each other.
They are not looking for a suspect because they believe they have all the players involved and there is no threat to the public.

If you have any information, you are asked to call the Lansing Police Department at (517) 483-4600.

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