Around 10:00 p.m. on October 16 in Clarksville, Kentucky, occupants of an apartment complex were involved in a domestic dispute. That dispute migrated outside to the parking lot, where a man proceeded to violently beat his girlfriend and her daughter, who is under 10 years old.
Hearing the noise, a neighbor stepped outside with a handgun to intervene.
“He did approach the individual who was assaulting the lady and her child and did, at gunpoint, instruct him to leave them alone and sit down on the curb,” said Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull.
The man complied at first, but quickly turned his rage on the neighbor and tried to attack him. After he repeatedly ignored warnings to stop, the neighbor fired, according to witnesses, four or five times. By the time police arrived, the attacker was dead.
Clarksville police have confirmed that this was a case of domestic battery. It’s possible that the woman was attempting to leave the relationship at the time of this conflict. Police Chief Mark Palmer, hasn’t commented on whether he thinks the neighbor’s actions were justified. However, we do know that once the autopsy was completed and witnesses were interviewed, authorities decided not to charge the man with any crimes.
“I do believe that had the individual not stepped in, it would have been far worse for the female that was being attacked,” Palmer said. “It could have been a life-threatening situation for [her] or the child.”
It’s likely that the woman was attempting to extricate herself from the situation at the time of this incident.
“[Victims of domestic violence] are 500 times more likely to be killed at the point that they are leaving the relationship,” according to Marguerite Thomas, VP of the Center for Women and Families serving the Louisville area.
The “good guy with a gun” narrative is a myth meant to scare people into buying guns for self-defense.
The truth? People rarely use guns for self-defense. Read more: https://t.co/JiRK3zkvkl
— Giffords (@GiffordsCourage) July 6, 2018