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15-year-old girl shoots, kills her mother's abusive boyfriend, sheriff says

15-year-old girl shoots, kills her mother's abusive boyfriend, sheriff says
Posted: Aug 20, 2018 3:12 AM PDTUpdated: Aug 20, 2018 7:25 AM PDT
The Associated Press


17353596_G.png (Meredith File Image, Getty)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A teenage girl drew upon gun training from her late father to fatally shoot an abusive boyfriend who was strangling her mother earlier this month in North Carolina, a prosecutor said Friday.

Steven Kelley, 46, was found dead by deputies who responded Aug. 8 to a call about a shooting at the house in the North Carolina foothills west of Charlotte, authorities said. He was shot twice and killed by his girlfriend's 15-year-old daughter after he attacked the woman and threatened to kill her and her three children in the home they all shared, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said.

The children's late father had taught the girl and her siblings how to shoot and safely handle guns, allowing her to effectively use the single-action Colt .45-caliber revolver that had to be cocked between shots, said District Attorney Ted Bell.

"The late father had taught the children how to shoot," Bell said in a phone interview.

Bell said the mother had hidden guns around the house for protection when the boyfriend started acting dangerously in recent weeks. Bell said he believed the revolver was one of those firearms, but he said the boyfriend also kept guns in the house.

Bell said his office determined the shooting was justified and that no charges are warranted against the children.

"It was absolutely clear that the mom's life was in jeopardy, as well as potentially the children, and so in that situation, we absolutely support the right of somebody to defend themselves and others with deadly force," he said. "I commend the 15-year-old for doing a very difficult thing by saving her mom's and siblings' lives and showing an amazing amount of maturity."

Authorities say Kelley was a convicted felon originally from Indiana with a history of domestic violence accusations. Kelley, the woman and her three children had recently moved to North Carolina from Indiana.

Kelley had previously attacked the woman on Aug. 4 "and fired multiple rounds from a firearm inside the residence to threaten and terrorize" her, according to a news release by the sheriff and district attorney. He had also threatened her multiple times before, and faced active domestic violence protection orders sought by two different women in Ohio and Indiana, the release said.

Kelley was strangling the woman and threatening to cut her throat when the woman's 12-year-old son retrieved the revolver, according to the news release. Authorities say the boy's 15-year-old sister took the gun from him and fired it twice into Kelley's chest.

The third sibling, a 16-year-old girl, was grazed in the leg and treated at a hospital and released. The mother also had "significant bruises" from the assault by Kelley, the sheriff's office said.

The mother didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday, and two phone numbers listed in public records were disconnected.

___

Yay!
 
Well there you go...
Good training , and the willingness to use what you know to solve the problem.

Sounds like the daughter did exactly what was needed in that situation...its too bad that she was in that situation...but better to have done what she did , rather than , be yet another victim.
Andy
 
Bad situation, but a good shoot. I feel badly for the daughter that pulled the trigger and the stuff she'll be dealing with after this.

I have to ask the obvious though - why do women get involved with scumbag trash like this? I've seen it personally far too often. Is there no way to warn these women away from guys like this before it gets so bad?

We had a neighbor years ago that was in an abusive relationship with her husband. She had come to us a few times after getting beaten. The last time we told her she needed to call the police and leave him. If not, we couldn't help her. So she waited at our house for the police to arrive while we helped her to make arrangements for her and her kids to stay somewhere else. She got out of that bad marriage and moved on. Last I heard, her son became a LEO.
 
Bad situation, but a good shoot. I feel badly for the daughter that pulled the trigger and the stuff she'll be dealing with after this.

I have to ask the obvious though - why do women get involved with scumbag trash like this? I've seen it personally far too often. Is there no way to warn these women away from guys like this before it gets so bad?

We had a neighbor years ago that was in an abusive relationship with her husband. She had come to us a few times after getting beaten. The last time we told her she needed to call the police and leave him. If not, we couldn't help her. So she waited at our house for the police to arrive while we helped her to make arrangements for her and her kids to stay somewhere else. She got out of that bad marriage and moved on. Last I heard, her son became a LEO.

I too have always wondered about that too and have not found a concrete answer.:rolleyes:
 
A lot of them are capable of being the most charming individuals on earth. They then use various psychological games to convince their victims that they are worthless to everyone else. Then they turn the charm back on and the cycle continues.

Also, when you are going through abuse you tend to normalize your experience and assume that all relationships endure this. I think that is a human psychological survival mechanism.
 
Glad everything turned out the way it did but dang, I feel bad for what that little girl is going to live through in the coming months and years. Hope she has a solid support system around her.
 
Bad situation, but a good shoot. I feel badly for the daughter that pulled the trigger and the stuff she'll be dealing with after this.

I have to ask the obvious though - why do women get involved with scumbag trash like this? I've seen it personally far too often. Is there no way to warn these women away from guys like this before it gets so bad?

We had a neighbor years ago that was in an abusive relationship with her husband. She had come to us a few times after getting beaten. The last time we told her she needed to call the police and leave him. If not, we couldn't help her. So she waited at our house for the police to arrive while we helped her to make arrangements for her and her kids to stay somewhere else. She got out of that bad marriage and moved on. Last I heard, her son became a LEO.

The world needs more neighbors like you man. Kudos to you and your wife for stepping up and doing the right thing.
 
As has been mentioned, the long term trama of taking another's life is a heavy burden for a 15 year old. I do hope she has the support and counseling to get through this. In time she'll come to understand that she took out the trash that no one else was willing to take out.

This story should be carried as a headline on all news outlets, but sadly it won't...

Lastly, the article said Kelley had fired shots in the house just 4 days before to terrorize the Mom... Did the sheriffs department respond? And did they leave known felon in the home with his firearms... Seems there could be a significant LEO failure here, just sayin... Cause they give these additional nuggets in the story, but not enough detail...

Either way, glad all will survive, may Fathers blessings be upon them, and give them peace in this time of turmoil...
 
Many women like "bad boys". Lots of times that doesn't turn out so well in varying degrees. From cheating, to manipulation, to stealing, to verbal abuse, to physical abuse.

My SIL knows how to turn on the charm, but he does a number of things my daughter doesn't appreciate him doing. Narcissist.

(Edit: Did I mention I used to like bad girls. I paid a price and I am still paying)
My ex was a pro at manipulation and verbal abuse... she criticized a lot and constantly wanted me to think it was me that was in the wrong. Yet she cheated constantly, was an alcoholic, and neglected the children while she went to the bar, came home late, and slept most of the days. I stayed because someone needed to raise those kids. After 10yrs of her bubblegume, I just couldn't take it anymore... however, then the kids really suffered as she moved them far away and hosted abusive boyfriends one after another. Years later I found out they molested my daughter and beat my ex-son. Lovely life eh, but they turned out ok because of early parenting, by me. I'm sure they have aches tho. :(

I wish a speedy recovery for this family!!! My heart goes out to them.
 
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I want to add - if anything were to happen to me and Mrs. Etrain were to remarry - heaven help that man if he laid a finger on her. She will put and end to that crap the first time it happens. Good to know my wife and daughter would be safe from such losers.
 
The world needs more neighbors like you man. Kudos to you and your wife for stepping up and doing the right thing.

Thanks. It felt good to help, even if it opened us up to some potential threats from Mr. Alcoholic tough guy. She went through some tough times for a while afterward, but she and the 3 kids were safe and they did get back on their feet. It's not easy to stick your nose in other people's business, but in her case, she had invited us to do just that a few times. I think she just needed the extra push from someone to do it. And the Mrs. is really good at tracking down available resources, so she was great at getting her pointed to places that could help. Troubling thing is they often find the idea of leaving more frightening than staying with the abuser - at least they have a home, food, etc. for them and their kids. Many of these women don't work and haven't had a career at all or at least in a long time. Trying to figure out how to survive without the guy can be terrifying for them. I wish there were more resources available for women in this position.
 
If the guns were locked up in the safe, this whole tragedy could have been prevented.

How would that have kept the boyfriend from strangling the Mom?. Also how is this a tragedy? It is a good thing the gun was available and she was able to save her mom and siblings from being killed. There is tragedy in that she had to take some ones life and that she'll have to deal with the emotional aftermath but all in all she did the right thing.:s0159:
 
When we first moved to Colorado and were building our house, we had to rent an apartment in town, we chose a pretty decent place ( we thought) that was convenient and not to expensive as we were only planning on staying for the time it took us to be able to move in to the house! There were a few neighbors who it was clear had "marital issues" and would have these very loud fights at all hours, usually after much drinking! Ever seen that ONE dude, the one where you just know there is no soul, nothing but absolute pure evil and hate, this guy was one! He had a wife and two little kids, maybe 5 and 7 years old, and he would go off on these blind rages, the kind where you just know it's going to end badly for some one! While he went off one night and tossed his wife through the patio window and off the balcony of their second floor apartment! This was not the first time he had done bad things to her and the kids, but I was damn sure it would be the last! Lets just say my wife took care of the woman and my self and two neighbors took care of the dude. One neighbor managed to land a few hits with a shorty baseball bat ( fish club) while I and the other neighbor got him on the ground and worked him over a little till the Sheriff deputies showed up! From the lengthy rap sheet on this dude, it's a wonder the wife survived the marriage, and yet she refused to leave, even after this! We managed to work the system to have him removed from society and loose his rights! Cant say what was done, but it was what was needed, and the wife finally saw the light and left him! I have a understanding of how and why women stay, etrain hit on most of it already, its really sad to see or hear about! How can a man treat his wife and kids like that, how can he cause them harm and say he loves and cares about them? I know the answers, but still, what kind of sick and twisted man could do these things! Sadly, we have many men out there just like this, and many more that do other terrible things, sexual predators and the like! Those people need to be singled out and removed from society as quickly as possible!
Side note, Have you guys seen the latest report on sexual predators in the Portland Metro area, specifically the numbers and spread? WholyChit batman, that's a whole lot of seriously messed up tangos that need removed right quick! It really bothers me to know that there are so many convinced predators around, which is telling because how many more are out there that haven't been caught yet! It's a sick sick sign of things to come, especially in Portland, home of the ultra left liberals who think its ok to allow these people to live among us!

Sorry for the off topic rant, this whole thing makes me sick to my stomach!
 
How would that have kept the boyfriend from strangling the Mom?. Also how is this a tragedy? It is a good thing the gun was available and she was able to save her mom and siblings from being killed. There is tragedy in that she had to take some ones life and that she'll have to deal with the emotional aftermath but all in all she did the right thing.:s0159:
So you're saying fascist safe storage laws aren't a good idea? :s0153:
 

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