AZ:Neighbor Shoots Carjacker who Attacked his Wife

A man and his wife see a neighbor drive up to her house.   The neighbor is in her 60's.   As they watch, a strange man approaches her, speaks to her, then grabs her, drags her from the SUV, throws her to the ground, and jumps in the vehicle. 

The wife opens the passenger side door, but is struck by the vehicle and knocked down.   The husband fires several shots from a handgun.   A short while later, the vehicle crashes.   From azfamily.com:

The responding officers discovered it was the stolen vehicle and that the driver was the suspect. Police say he had suffered a gunshot wound.

He was transported to a local hospital, but later died of his injuries.  He has been identified, but the next of kin has not been notified.  It will require an autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.

The carjacker was 29 years old.   No charges are expected to be filed.    The husband had just seen the suspect attack two women, one of which was his wife.   The suspect was also in the process of committing several felonies, which Arizona law specifically says justifies the use of deadly force to stop or prevent.   From azleg.state.az.us 13-411:

 A.  A person is justified in threatening or using both physical force and deadly physical force against another if and to the extent the person reasonably believes that physical force or deadly physical force is immediately necessary to prevent the other's commission of...

 ...  aggravated assault under section 13-1204, subsection A, paragraphs 1 and 2.

 Aggravated assault in Arizona is satisfied by both assault that  threatens serious physical injury or use of a deadly weapon (the car).


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