A Colorado man could face charges after he fatally shot one of the two would-be robbers who responded to a Craigslist "for sale" ad. The incident occurred Sunday morning at the man's home in Littleton when two men, described by the homeowner as Hispanic, arrived at the home to see collectibles and household items advertised for sale on Craigslist.
"At some point during the interaction, the males produced a gun, restrained the homeowner, and robbed him," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.
Upon freeing himself, the homeowner ran outside to find one of the suspects in the process of stealing his SUV while the other drove away in the gold Mustang that they arrived in. He fired several shots at each man, causing the driver of the SUV to lose control and crash in a neighbor's yard.
Scene pictures from S. Taft Ct. in #JeffCo. pic.twitter.com/WQUasy4Vtn
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) January 24, 2016
Authorities soon arrived on the scene and administered first aid before transporting the injured suspect to St. Anthony's Central Hospital where he later died, according to CBS Denver.
It would appear that the shooting would be justified under "self-defense" or the state's "Make My Day" law. However, legal experts say its not that simple.
"While the facts are very sympathetic to the homeowner, the law is not," legal expert Dan Recht said, according to Fox Denver affiliate KDVR-TV.
"It is not enough to have been threatened and now use physical force to retaliate," he said, explaining why a self-defense defense likely won't work. "If a guy is driving away, even if it is your vehicle that he stole, you cannot use deadly force."
Recht also explained that the Make My Day Law only allows a homeowner to use deadly force against an intruder inside the home and not in the front yard.
Despite that, he said even if the homeowner is charged, the courts will probably work out a plea bargain that results in no jail time.
Police are still on the hunt for the other suspect and said they found the gold Mustang he was driving in Federal Heights.
