Indiana woman shoots and kills man who held a gun to her husband’s head in their front yard
Indiana woman shoots and kills man who held a gun to her husband’s head in their front yard
- Michael Chastain was shot Monday outside a property in Salem, Indiana
- It is understood that he pulled a gun on the homeowner, prompting their wife to grab her own gun and shoot Chastain, who was later pronounced dead.
An Indiana woman shot and killed a man who held a gun to her husband’s head, police said.
According to Indiana state police officers, the incident occurred at a rural home nine miles south of Salem, Washington County on Monday night around 6:40 p.m.
Police arrived at the Organ Springs Road address to find 45-year-old Michael Chastain shot in the front yard of the property.
It is clear that Chastain had driven through the front yard before getting out of his car, grabbed the homeowner and forced him to the ground.
He then pulled out a gun and aimed it at the man’s head.
Police arrived at the Organ Springs Road address to find 45-year-old Michael Chastain (pictured) shot in the front yard of the property
Indiana State Police said while this was happening, the homeowner’s wife noticed the attack from inside the property.
This prompted her to grab a gun and shoot Chastain, investigators said.
The 45-year-old was taken to Saint Vincent Hospital in Salem, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police said Chastain had a previous relationship with the homeowner’s daughter, but the daughter no longer lives at the address.
It is not yet clear why Chastain targeted her father, officers added. Indiana State Police investigators said he was known in the area and had a criminal background.
The homeowners have not yet been publicly named by police and the woman has not been charged at the scene. It was not clear if she would be charged in the future.
Ultimately, the case will be turned over to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
Under Indiana’s “Stand Your Ground” law, residents may use force to defend themselves and others against what they “reasonably believe is the imminent threat of unlawful violence, grievous bodily harm, unlawful encroachment on property, or the commission of a felony ‘. according to Indy Justice.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Matt Ames said in April, “A law has been put in place that you can use force against another individual.
“If they think violence is imminent or that it could cause serious bodily harm to themselves or another person,” he told local news outlet WTHI.
However, Sargeant Ames warned that the law only protects people who act in self-defense, not those who are the aggressors in a situation.
“People need to realize that if someone knocks on your door,” Ames said.
“You may be a little scared, but there’s no threat to you, you’re not authorized to use force by pulling out that gun and doing anything that could result in bodily harm or death.”
According to Indiana state police officers, the incident occurred at a home in Salem, Washington County around 6:40 p.m. Monday night (photo, general view of the area)
Indiana’s Stand Your Ground law received significant media attention in July 2022 following a mass shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana.
Three people were killed by 20-year-old gunman Jonathan Sapirman before he himself was fatally shot by 22-year-old Elishsha Dicken, a legally armed civilian bystander.
From a distance of 40 yards, Dicken fired ten rounds of pistol at Sapirman—who was armed with an AR-15-style rifle—and hit him eight times.
Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said at the time: “Many more people would have been killed last night if a responsible armed civilian did not take very rapid action within the first two minutes of the shooting.”