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An Indiana homeowner who armed himself and went outside to investigate a suspicious person is now facing a reckless homicide charge.
According to WANE 15, 30-year-old Martell Pickens is accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old Khadolphee Demarco Taylor in southeast Fort Wayne.
The shooting happened around 2:45 a.m. on May 7 in the 500 block of East Rudisill Boulevard. Police were responding to reports of a suspicious person attempting to enter vehicles and a home when dispatchers received word that the homeowner had shot someone.
Officers found Taylor suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. They rendered aid before he was transported to a hospital, where he later died. The Allen County Coroner’s Office identified him and ruled his death a homicide.
Pickens remained at the scene and surrendered his Glock .45-caliber handgun, according to court records obtained by 21Alive.
Pickens reportedly told investigators that he woke up and learned someone was attempting to enter vehicles in the neighborhood. He armed himself, left his home and confronted Taylor.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Taylor wandering around the neighborhood for an extended period. Police said he attempted to open Pickens’ screen door, walked away and later returned.
Immediately before the shooting, Pickens was reportedly standing near his parked vehicle when Taylor approached from the driver’s side. The recording captured Pickens yelling, “What are you doing?” and “Back up.”
Pickens told investigators that Taylor continued moving toward him, so he fired once. Court documents say Pickens acknowledged that Taylor was unarmed and appeared intoxicated or impaired.
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Investigators also learned that officers had stopped Taylor approximately 20 minutes earlier. Police reportedly noticed behavior consistent with intoxication or mental impairment. Taylor’s vehicle was towed because his license was suspended, and officers told him to walk home.
Police do not believe the shooting was justified under Indiana’s self-defense law.
Indiana generally does not require a person to retreat when deadly force is otherwise justified. However, that does not make every shooting of an approaching person lawful. Indiana law still requires a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury, stop a forcible felony or prevent an unlawful entry or attack on a home, its curtilage or an occupied vehicle.
Detective Brian Martin wrote that Pickens “knowingly armed himself and voluntarily exited the safety of his residence to confront Taylor.”
That decision appears to be central to the charge. Investigators allege that Taylor was unarmed and had not presented a threat serious enough to justify deadly force when Pickens fired.
Pickens has been charged, but he has not been convicted. Prosecutors will still have to prove their case, and his defense will have an opportunity to challenge the state’s version of events.
Self-defense doesn’t end when the threat goes down. That’s when the real battle begins. Lawyers. Prosecutors. Headlines. USCCA Members never fight that battle alone. Find out how.
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is the News Editor of GunsAmerica.