A 38-year-old man was shot and killed after he forced his way into a home armed with a handgun and threatened the two people inside. The man, who had violated a protection order filed by the female homeowner, was shot by a guest in the home in what has been deemed an act of self-defense. Police say the aggressor had fired his handgun at the guest, prompting him to return fire. Court papers show that the deceased man had a history of violence against the homeowner, and she had taken out a protection order against him after he had grabbed her face, pulled her hair and threatened to strangle her. She was also reported to have received threatening texts by the man. Only four days into the protection order, he committed a violation, for which he received a 30-day suspended sentence. He later plead guilty to domestic abuse and disorderly conduct for the original case, and received a 10-day suspended sentence. In May the woman filed another protection order against the man after he became angry when she hired a contractor to perform some work in her house. He reportedly threw elbows at her and got into her running car with a child inside. (Siouxlandproud.com; Vermillion, S.D.; 5/18/24)
