Local News

DA: Pa. Teen Justified In Killing Mother's Abusive Boyfriend

/ CBS Philadelphia

BENTON, Pa. (AP) — A northeastern Pennsylvania prosecutor says a 16-year-old has been cleared of wrongdoing and won't face charges in the fatal shooting last April of his mother's abusive boyfriend.

Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said Tuesday the teen was justified in using lethal force to stop 32-year-old David Wheeler from beating his mother and attacking him.

Salavantis says state police and county detectives found Wheeler remained aggressive after the Fairmount Township teen, armed with a shotgun, fired a warning shot into the air.

Police say Wheeler threatened to kill the teen and told him: "What are you going to do? Shoot me? Go ahead and shoot me, tough guy."

Wheeler was shot once in the abdomen. He died four days later.

Police say he had a history of domestic abuse.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

You may also be interested in these stories:

First published on January 14, 2015 / 10:52 AM EST

© 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.