U.S. News
No charges for Ohio dad who fatally shot daughter’s ex in break-in
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- An Ohio homeowner will not face charges after fatally shooting his daughter’s ex-boyfriend as he broke through their front door.
- James Rayl attempted to break into the house through the front door but was warned by Mitchell Duckro that he has a gun.
- Rayl managed to get the door open a couple of inches before Duckro opened fire.
A Shelby County grand jury recently decided not to charge an Ohio homeowner with any crimes in connection to the fatal shooting of his daughter’s ex-boyfriend through the door of his home in Sidney.
A Ring doorbell camera video shows the moments Mitchell Duckro apparently shot James Rayl to death as the 22-year-old was trying to bust down the front door.
Duckro’s daughter, Allyson Duckro, said her relationship with Rayl ended more than 18 months prior. Rayl left a voicemail on her phone the night before and showed up at her house around 11 a.m.
Ring Doorbell camera footage shows the whole incident, from Rayl ringing the doorbell to stepping back to wait for a few minutes. The young man then walks off before returning and ringing the doorbell again. When no one is answering, Rayl opened the glass or screen exterior door before trying to pull the handle of the main door.
Duckro and his family can be heard telling Rayl to leave, but the 22-year-old instead begins to slam his body into the door. Duckro is also heard from inside the home warning the young man, “I’ve got a gun.”
Rayl reportedly broke the deadbolt and managed to get the door open a couple of inches before Duckro opened fire.
Rayl was hit three times — in the left and right shoulders and at the back. He was seen walking to the driveway before collapsing. Screaming can also be heard from inside the house after the shots.
Jeffery Hereford, Duckro’s neighbor, was seen entering the frame and walking across the family’s front lawn, saying, “Don’t shoot me.” Hereford then said, “He ain’t got no gun,” referring to Rayl.
In the 911 call recording, Allyson Duckro reportedly told her father, “Dad, there’s nothing you could have done, you saved my life.”
A Shelby County grand jury ultimately decided not to charge Mitchell Duckro after reviewing the 911 call, the voicemail, and the doorbell camera footage. The jury cited Ohio’s “Stand Your Ground” and “Castle Doctrine” establishing that homeowners can legally use lethal force when their lives are threatened.
Source: New York Post
Roland
September 4, 2022 at 6:44 pm
The only difference between this P.O.S. that was trying to break in and a streaming pile of dog shit is he was stupider and was to large to be flushed.
Sanjosemike
September 4, 2022 at 8:35 pm
I have a large poster up in my garage that can be seen when the door is open: It shows the “cluster of target shots” I made at a local range.
Anyone looking into the garage can see it. I also have a Ring System that is always taking digital records of anyone who approaches the door, or rings the bell.
I happen to live in a State with Home Castle Doctrine as state law. I’m not “boasting.” Simply suggesting what you can do.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Sanjosemike (
RSM4
September 5, 2022 at 3:13 am
Liberals always scream that the gun owner had “lots of other options.” Well, he was on the phone with 911, warned the kid he had a gun, told the kid to leave, etc. But, liberals believe gun owners have no right to self defense. What they don’t want to talk about is their belief that a victim in a body bag is “morally superior” to a live person filling out a police report about how they shot the attacker.
One reason the daughter may have broken it off with the boy might be related to his, and his family’s warped view of reality. The sister claimed he went over to the house “to look out for” the ex-girl friend. She was safe at at home with her family. What kind of legitimate “looking out for her” would include refusing to leave, and ignoring warnings, and forcing the door open?
franklin archambault
September 5, 2022 at 10:30 am
One has to protect hearth and home the loses voted too make the police the criminals so get ready for youec turn it will come and do not hesetate
TexVetJeff
September 5, 2022 at 1:30 pm
Although the sequence of events in this situation are a bit distasteful, the homeowner WAS acquitted by a jury of his peers that had the fullest access to the facts of the matter. I feel that it suffices to say, that if one cannot feel & be safe in their own home, then there’s NO safety to be had ANYWHERE for ANYONE at all! Horatio at the gate it is & shall be.