The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
November 18, 2013

Charges Filed Against Homeowner in Shooting of Renisha McBride 
---------------------------------------------------------------


 
Michigan prosecutors have filed charges against a Detroit-area homeowner
for the fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American woman on his
porch. Nineteen-year-old Renisha Mc Bride was apparently seeking help
after a car crash when she came to the door of the suspect, Ted Wafer.
Mc Bride was killed by a shotgun blast to the face. After a more than
week-long investigation that saw the case attract national controversy,
prosecutor Kym Worthy unveiled charges on Friday.

Kym Worthy: "She was found with a very large gunshot wound to the face.
It’s alleged that she was shot to death by the homeowner after she
knocked on his locked front screen door. By all reports she was unarmed
and there were no signs of forced entry to the home. We obviously do not
feel that evidence in this case shows that the defendant acted in lawful
self-defense."

Wafer faces up to life in prison on charges of second-degree murder,
manslaughter and possession of a firearm in a felony. He has claimed the
gun fired by accident and that he thought Mc Bridge was an intruder. At
a news conference, Mc Bride's mother, Monica Mc Bride, addressed Wafer
publicly.

Monica Mc Bride: "I’m not going to call you a monster. You said it was
an accident. When you accidentally do something to someone you say
you’re sorry or you apologize. You did no accident. You took a life,
you took a beautiful life that was starting to blossom into a beautiful
woman."

 

.