Sheriff: 15-Year-Old Girl Shoots, Kills Mother's Boyfriend During Assault
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
FOREST CITY, N.C. (KDKA) -- Authorities say a teenage girl fatally shot her mother's boyfriend while he was assaulting and strangling her.
Authorities were called to a home in Forest City, N.C., just after 12 a.m. on Aug. 8. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found 46-year-old Steven Kelley, who had been fatally shot. Also in the home were Kelley's girlfriend, her 12-year-old son, her 15-year-old daughter and her 16-year-old daughter.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, Kelley attacked and strangled his girlfriend the night of the shooting. He was also allegedly yelling that he was going to cut his girlfriend's throat and kill everyone in the house.
During the attack, the woman's 12-year-old son grabbed a firearm. The woman's 15-year-old daughter then took the gun and fired at Kelley twice, hitting him in the chest.
Authorities say Kelley had threatened his girlfriend on several occasions in the past, and four days before the shooting, he had assaulted the woman and fired multiple rounds inside the home.
Kelley was also a convicted felon with two active domestic violence protection orders against him from two different women in Indiana and Ohio. No assaults or incidents of domestic violence had been reported to law enforcement before the fatal shooting.
The District Attorney's Office determined the shooting was justified and said no charges would be filed.
Kelley's girlfriend suffered significant bruises and contusions from the assault. Her 16-year-old daughter was also grazed when one of the fired rounds fragmented. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and later released.