By Laura Beck
http://jezebel.com/black-woman-shot-to-death-for-asking-for-help-in-a-whit-1459915081
Last Saturday morning at around 2:30am 19-year-old Renisha McBride got into a car accident in Dearborn Heights, a predominately white Detroit suburb. Because her cell phone battery was dead, she went to nearby home for assistance. That might seem like the reasonable and understandable thing to do, but it was the biggest mistake of McBride's short life.
The unnamed person who answered the door didn't offer to help the stranded teen out, instead the Dearborn Heights resident fatally shot McBride in the head.
Weirdly, Dearborn Heights police initially told McBride’s family that her body was found dumped in another area of town, but they've since changed their story, saying she was shot in self-defense on the homeowner’s front porch. Naturally, Michigan is a Stand Your Ground state — sound familiar?
As Rania Khalek points out:
Even if that’s the case, and there’s reason to believe it’s not, the shooter still failed to call 911 after shooting an unarmed woman in the head, instead leaving her their to die. Does that sound like the behavior of a law-abiding gunowner who made a tragic mistake?
No. No it does not.
Police have asked Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for charges to be filed against the unnamed resident who shot McBride. We'll see how well that pans out.
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Sam Hobbs · Top Commenter · Detroit, Michigan
charges are appropriate if no one entered the house, nor made any attempt to enter the house. a responsible gun owner should know the law. if the young lady was outside of the home, it's unlikely that she presented actual jeopardy or a reasonable threat to the shooter unless she flashed a gun, herself, which isn't reported anywhere. the castle doctrine does extend to the curtilage of one's home, but that doesn't include someone merely knocking on the door, regardless of the time of the knock.
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Prosecutor asks for more details in fatal shooting of Detroit teen
By Oralandar Brand-Williams
The Detroit News 129 Comments
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131106/METRO01/311060086#ixzz2jxp8Ipag
Dearborn Heights— Four days after a young woman was found dead outside a Dearborn Heights home at which she is believed to have sought help after a car accident, the family is asking: Why did she have to die?
Little has been publicly released about the circumstances of Renisha McBride’s death Saturday. The 19-year-old from Detroit died of a shotgun blast to the head outside the home in the 16800 block of Outer Drive near Warren Avenue. Dearborn Heights police said they have “identified the person who fired the shot and killed the woman.”
Her cellphone dead, her family said, she made her way to the house for help after the early morning accident.
“She probably wanted to ask him to make a call for her or if she could use the phone,” said McBride’s maternal aunt, Bernita Spinks.
Police have refused to release details of their investigation. The police chief did not return calls.
The family is filled with questions, said Spinks, a family spokeswoman. At a vigil late Wednesday, she asked: “Why did he have to shoot her?”
Spinks said the family met with police and Prosecutor’s Office about the shooting. She said police told the family the shooter is a man in his 50s.A preliminary autopsy indicated McBride was shot in the head, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. No other information on the autopsy was released.
Police on Wednesday asked the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to issue a warrant for the resident in the fatal shooting, but late Wednesday, the office said it sent back the request.
“We have requested further investigation by the police that must be submitted to our office before a decision will be made,” said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
As the family prepares for the funeral Friday of McBride, a recent graduate of Southfield High School and an employee of Ford Motor Co., family members said they are troubled by the circumstances of the shooting. Spinks said she believes her niece was racially profiled.
“I just want justice,” Spinks said Wednesday. “I’m not going to stop until we get it.”
Spinks praised the police decision to seek charges, saying, “Thank you, Jesus! I’m very happy there is progress.”
Wednesday evening, about 40 family members and friends of McBride attended the vigil at the home, a tan brick bungalow, where she died. Residents did not appear to be home.
Those who gathered prayed and chanted, “No justice, no peace” and “Justice for Renisha.” Some relatives broke down in tears as they approached the porch where the shooting occurred.
“We’re looking for justice to be served,” said community activist Ron Scott. He urged Worthy to bring charges in the case.
The Rev. W.J. Rideout added, “We are not going to let him get away with this senseless act he committed against this 19-year-old girl.”
Services for McBride will be 11 a.m. Friday at House of Prayer and Praise, 16520 Wyoming, in Detroit.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131106/METRO01/311060086#ixzz2jxowdFWR
