[Drizzt]

Intruder shot, killed

Statesman Journal
April 20, 2003

A South Salem homeowner shot and killed an intruder Saturday morning when he found him starting a fire in his garage, Salem police said.

The male victim’s identity had not been determined Saturday, said Doug Hanson, an Marion County assistant district attorney.

Linn Stordahl, 64, the owner and resident, was not arrested, Hanson said, and Stordahl was cooperating with investigators.

The incident occurred about 6:10 a.m. at 5505 East Ridge St. S, just north of Crossler Middle School.

The shooting followed an apparent confrontation with a suspected burglar who had started a fire with boxes in the attached garage of the house, said Lt. Dave Okada of the Salem Police Department.

Hanson said the suspected burglar was shot in the neck when he came at Stordahl, who was armed with a handgun.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday in Portland, Hanson said. The victim probably will need to be identified through fingerprints because he had no identification.

Hanson said investigators had not determined whether the shooting was justified.

“What we know is an intruder was shot by a homeowner,” Hanson said.

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=60294

ya know, one might begin to suspect that breaking into occupied abodes could be detremental to one's health...

[Cal4D4]

Defining property rights and personal sovereignty one invader at a time.

[Standing Wolf]

The male victim’s identity...

Wrong. He was the perpetrator, not the victim.

[P95Carry]

Wrong. He was the perpetrator, not the victim. You got that nailed SW ... totally!!:)

[MLH]

Here in Ky. if someone is trying to set fire to your house (the garage was attached which makes part of your house) you have every right to shoot him! I can't believe they would even say it might not be justified. :cuss: :banghead:

[Zundfolge]

... the suspected burglar was shot in the neck when he came at Stordahl...

Suspected burglar??!! more like suspected arsonist :banghead:

I wonder how long until the blissninnies come out of the woodwork crying about how this hallowed homeless person was just trying to stay warm and this evil gun owner murdered him :rolleyes:

[Drizzt]

Homeowner cleared in shooting of intruder



SALEM (AP) - A Marion County grand jury cleared a homeowner who fatally shot a teenager setting a fire in his garage.

The grand jury decided Linn Stordahl's use of deadly force was justified under Oregon law, Deputy District Attorney Douglas C. Hanson said Monday.

The victim, Anthony Choate, 16, had a blood alcohol content of .31, about four times the legal limit to drive. He also tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, toxicology reports revealed.


According to the DA's office, Stordahl awoke on April 19 after hearing noises from his garage. He grabbed a flashlight and a handgun.

When he opened the door to the garage, Stordahl saw an intruder and a box that had been set on fire. Stordahl and Choate exchanged words, each asking the other what he was doing there.

Choate then started walking toward Stordahl, who said he warned him to stop.

Choate kept advancing, even after Stordahl warned him again and said he had a gun. Stordahl pulled the trigger and heard a click because a round was not chambered. When he pulled the trigger again, Choate was shot in the neck.

"Mr. Stordahl is a very moral man who was forced into defending himself, his wife and his home," said Walter Todd, Stordahl's lawyer. "Of course he did not want this to happen, but he had no choice."

Also Monday, Choate's friends and family listened through their tears as a pastor spoke at the 16-year-old's funeral. The Rev. David Shimeall of Judson Baptist Church tried to comfort the crowd of about 250 by discussing how to deal with loss and grief.

But he also had words of advice for the mourners, most of whom were teenagers: "The decisions we make do make a difference, sometimes an eternal difference."

Before the shooting, the former Sprague High School student spent the night partying with friends. Many of the young people at the funeral had been sobered by the consequences of their friend's actions.

Choate's family members donned T-shirts with the words "In loving memory - Tony" written on the back. They showed a video with photos of the boy throughout his life - wearing a baseball uniform, holding a Christmas stocking. They did not speak.

http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2003/04/29/news/oregon/state01.txt

[Standing Wolf]

The victim, Anthony Choate, 16, had a blood alcohol content of .31, about four times the legal limit to drive. He also tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, toxicology reports revealed.

He's a victim of his own stupidity, all right, but he's definitely not the victim of the home owner!

[TheeBadOne]

Boom Boom, bag bag