KWTX Reported that on January 2, 2015 a homeowner shot and killed a man who authorities think broke into a home in Vidor near Beaumont, close to Texas’ Gulf Coast, thinking it belonged to someone he knew.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as William Bloomer, 38, in a statement Thursday.
Authorities responded at around 3 a.m. Thursday to the shooting and determined that the resident used a handgun to shoot Bloomer.
Witnesses said Bloomer was intoxicated after attending a nearby party and left on foot.
He subsequently forced his way into the Sawmill Road home.
Detectives think Bloomer was so intoxicated that he broke into the home mistakenly believing someone he knew lived there.
The homeowner didn’t know Bloomer and thought he was an intruder.
The investigation is ongoing.
No charges have yet been filed against the homeowner.
Program Attorney Michele Byington says,“These types of incidents are not uncommon. Even though the deceased probably did not have malicious intent when entering into the habitation, the homeowner’s use of deadly force will more than likely be justified under the Texas Castle Doctrine. Texas Penal Code § 9.32 states that a person will receive the presumption that they acted reasonably in using deadly force when another unlawfully & with force enters or attempts to enter into their occupied habitation. The homeowner did not have the obligation to try and figure out the intruder’s intent, whether it be a mistake or malicious.”
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