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Whit Johnson Reporting A Roy man faces attempted murder charges for shooting at another man who was trespassing in his backyard. The intruder wasn't hurt, but the story has generated hundreds of differing opinions over home owner's rights.
Everyone we spoke to seems to agree that the man who opened fire in this case likely broke the law, but some argue it's too easy to own a gun in Utah without knowing those laws first.
Honey Hill lives next door to the scene of the shooting. She says, "This was labeled number one, number two, number three, number four. Another one hit the pool. One shattered the chair."
Her next door neighbor Michael Wilder opened fire at a trespasser, sending six bullets toward her home. "Our propane tank was right there. It could have hit and blew up our house. And I have a baby inside, you know you never know," Hill said.
The incident happened around 4:00 in the morning on July 11th. Police say Kory Scott was delusional and possibly under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he entered Wilder's backyard.
Roy Police Chief Greg Whinham said, "There was no threats that we know of or that were articulated to anyone toward any persons."
After Wilder gave Scott several commands, Scott turned and made a run for the fence. That's when Wilder opened fire.
Clark Aposhian, Chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, said, "If a person is running away, your first clue should be, don't shoot."
Aposhian says the laws are very specific when it comes to protecting yourself. "The ability to use deadly force is greater the closer you get to inside your home."
As stated in statute 76-2-407, "The person reasonably believes that the trespass is attempted or made for the purpose of committing violence against any person on the real property."
Steven Gunn, with the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, said, "You ought to stop and consider the fact you're shooting and trying to kill a human being. Why? Because he's on your space. What possible justification can there be fore that?"
Michael Wilder spoke to one of our reporters and said he's making the news because of a bad judgment call. His fate is now in the hands of the Weber County courts.
