- A 15-year-old girl from North Carolina won't face charges for shooting and killing her mom's abusive boyfriend.
- According to police, the August 8 shooting was "justified" based on facts and evidence.
- Authorities say the night he was shot, the man, who has been identified as Steven Kelley, assaulted, strangled, and threatened the teen's mom Chandra Nierman and her family.
- Nierman "suffered significant bruises and contusions," according to police.
- Kelley had previously threatened, assaulted, and "terrorized" Nierman, police say.
A 15-year-old girl from North Carolina won't face charges for shooting and killing her mom's abusive boyfriend on August 8, according to police.
On August 8, a man who has been identified as Steven Kelley was assaulting his girlfriend Chandra Nierman while her 12-year-old song and 15 and 16-year-old daughters were home, according to a press release from the Rutherford County Sheriff Office in North Carolina. Per police, Kelley strangled Nierman and yelled that "he was going to cut Nierman’s throat and kill everyone in the house."
A police investigation found that on the night of the shooting, Nierman's 12-year-old son retrieved a firearm and handed it to his 15-year-old sister. Authorities say the teen then fired the weapon twice, striking Kelley in the chest. However, one of the bullets "fragmented," and grazed her 16-year-old sister in the leg, according to the press release. The 16-year-old was taken to Spartanburg Regional Hospital and released on August 9.
Nierman "suffered significant bruises and contusions from the assault," per the news release.
A police investigation into Kelley found that he was a convicted felon, owned multiple firearms, and had two active domestic violence protection orders against him from two different women in Indiana and Ohio. No domestic violence or assaults had been reported to local law enforcement prior to the fatal shooting.
The same investigation found that Kelley had threatened Nierman on numerous occasions, and on August 4, he assaulted her and fired multiple rounds from a firearm inside the house to "terrorize" her.
Before the shooting, Kelley, Nierman, and her three children had recently moved to North Carolina from Indiana, according to the news release.
No charges will be filed against the 15-year-old because the shooting was "justified" based on facts and evidence, police say.
Justifiable homicide, according to the Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, is "a killing without evil or criminal intent, for which there is no blame. For example, an accidental shooting, a killing in the course of self-defense, or a death that results from the necessary actions of a police officer would all be justifiable homicides."
In 2016, there were 331 justifiable homicides committed by US citizens, according to the FBI.
If you or someone you know is experiencing what may be domestic violence, you can visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233 for help.
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