The story is all too familiar. An ex-husband or boyfriend gets angry that their former partner has moved on and goes on a rampage. Too many times it ends in tragedy, but in an incident that unfolded last Saturday afternoon, an armed defender flipped the script.
Police in Alabama report that a suspected vengeful man was shot and killed when he went after his ex-girlfriend. The Dothan Police Department identified the alleged assailant as 55-year-old Charles Kevin Sexton of nearby Ashford.
Sexton apparently believed his ex was hiding from him in the residence, which was in fact true. Someone drove him to the home, and in his attempt to reach her he allegedly broke through several doors.
Local news station WDHN reported that Sexton forced his way through the main door of the residence and then a second door. There he was confronted by the homeowner who attempted to get him to leave.
That was unsuccessful, and authorities say Sexton rammed through yet another door where he found his ex-girlfriend. There he began to attack her.
The unidentified homeowner retrieved his weapon and shot Sexton once in the upper torso, according to a news release from authorities. “The suspect exited the residence and entered the same vehicle and left. The suspect was dropped off at Southeast Health Emergency Department where he was later pronounced dead.”
Dothan police noted that after consulting with the Houston County District Attorney, it was determined that the homeowner acted in self-defense and thus will not face charges. Law enforcement also recognized that he was defending another person in the shooting.
Without a firearm in the residence, the female target would almost certainly have been wounded further or even worse. The homeowner, who tried to defuse the situation before the attack, is to be commended for quick action to save her.
The loss of life is never celebrated, but the alleged attacker put himself in the ultimately fatal position when he assaulted the woman. There is no one else to blame.
