Apparently Michigan does not have a ‘strong’ castle doctrine in self defense law.
Michigan Intruder Shot With a Crossbow During Break In
Most homeowners possess some means of self-defense. Many have a gun, some wield baseball bats and most have a security system. One Michigan homeowner had a crossbow.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, two men, one 32-year-old and the other 41-year-old, attempted to break into a home on the 4500 Block of Huron in Frenchtown Township in Monroe County. The younger of the two was shot by one of the two residents with a crossbow.
The younger suspect was taken to a hospital after his injuries required surgery. The older suspect was found nearby sometime later and was arrested.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is still conducting an investigation, however, the sheriff’s office did say the suspects and residents knew each other and the crime appeared to have stemmed from a previous disagreement between the parties involved.
In Michigan, citizens can use deadly force to protect themselves if they believe their life is in danger under the Michigan Stand Your Ground Law. However, the law is specific that homeowners match their defense to the threat of the intruder.
To avoid speculating on this specific case, an example of the homeowner using excessive force is provided by the Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan:
When it comes to using deadly force, the rule of thumb a person needs to remember is the force used must always be proportional to the threat. A homeowner would not be justified using deadly force on a person who broke into their home and was found passed out on the floor. [A] person would not be justified using deadly force at home against a young 13-year-old kid who broke into your house.
Deadly force is only allowed under the law when self-defense is needed to prevent great bodily harm that could lead to death, rape, known as criminal sexual conduct and death. If you use deadly force, you must have a belief that you are preventing one of the three things listed above.
According to the Times Herald, in 2017 over 200,000 Michigan deer hunters used crossbows. They were nearly 15% more accurate than traditional firearm hunters that year as they killed over 90,000 deer that season, a quarter of all deer taken that year.
Those numbers had been growing in the years leading up to 2017 and have surely grown since. It seems crossbows may be a bit more common in the Mitten State than previously believed. Cocking a bow might be more difficult than loading a gun, but they sure are effective.