Nevada man shoots confused birthday partier who knocked on wrong door
A Nevada man looking for a birthday party was shot early Thursday morning by a homeowner in northwest Las Vegas when he knocked on the wrong door.
Metropolitan Police spokesperson Lt. Ted Glaude told the Las Vegas Sun that the victim and his friend had briefly left the birthday party near the 9200 block of Wittig Avenue.
When the two tried to return at around 2 am, they mistakenly knocked on the wrong door at a nearby home. Police said the men were confused why they were not being allowed into the house and banged on the door while arguing with the homeowner.
Police said that the homeowner fired a single round, striking the victim in the chest. He was transferred to University Medical Center.
According to the paper, no arrests had been made as of 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal identified the home owner as Las Vegas Fire Department Captain Victor Thompson. The paper also said reports that the victim had died in the shooting were erroneous.
Earlier this week, the shooting death of a 34-year-old man ignited debate about Nevada's "stand your ground" law.
Wayne Burgarello, 73, argued that he was innocent under the state's 2011 "stand your ground” law after he fatally shot an unarmed man and wounded a woman who were sleeping inside one of his vacant properties.
"If the case is tried, a judge will tell a jury to apply a subjective test and an objective test," attorney Reno attorney John Ohlson told the Gazette-Journal. "The subjective test: Did the shooter actually believe himself that his life was in danger? The objective: Was that belief reasonable?"
[Note: Article updated after publication]
[Photo: A man holding a gun directly at the viewer via Shutterstock.com]