South Carolina police won't charge a man who gunned down a teenager he suspected of stealing a car.
Derrick Grant was fatally shot Jan. 17 by 24-year-old Quadarrel Lamont Morton after he ordered the 15-year-old to stop reaching into the vehicle, reported the Post and Courier.
North Charleston police said they consulted with prosecutors to determine Morton had acted within his rights under the state's "stand your ground" law, which allows deadly force to be used in self-defense when a person believes they're faced with threat of serious injury or to stop a violent crime.
Fear of imminent peril is presumed under the law when an intruder is breaking into a house or car.
Morton, who does not have a serious criminal history, reported his girlfriend's Hyundai stolen Jan. 16 from a convenience store, but the car was parked outside their home the following morning.
He went outside with a gun to investigate, and saw someone go into the car with a key -- so he ordered the person to stop.
"He reached for something. I fired once," Morton said. "I saw him reach again. I fired one more time."
