The Michigan homeowner responsible for shooting Renisha McBride as she asked for help following a car accident is now claiming he thought the 19-year-old was an intruder and that his gun accidentally discharged, reports the Detroit Free Press.
“This man’s claiming -believed the girl was breaking into the home. And he’s also saying the gun discharged accidentally.” said Detroit police Lt. James Serwatowski.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, the 54-year-old homeowner’s lawyer said that evidence would show the shooting was “justified.”
Serwatowski added that MacBride had not been shot in the back of the head as previously reported. “I dont know where the family is getting this. She was shot in the front of the face, near the mouth,” he said.
The family of the victim released a statement asking that all interviews and contact be conducted after the funeral.
They also challenged the report that the homeowner called the police after the shooting which took place at about 3:40 a.m. on Saturday. “The alleged assailant did not, according to reports, immediately notify the police that the shooting had taken place. It was reported that instead neighbors contacted police about the shooting. He has not, to date, been arrested.”
The Detroit Branch of the NAACP has released a statement calling for the shooting to be “investigated at every level”.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office has indicated that the case is under a swiftly moving investigation, and a statement will be released once it is completed.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Renisha McBride’s family as the case unfolds.