No charges will be filed against a South Bend homeowner who police say shot and killed a man who broke into his home last month.
Police found that Michael Parcher, 73, was justified in the shooting under Indiana law that says a person is justified in using reasonable force, including deadly force, if the person believes the shooting is necessary to prevent or stop a trespasser, according to a news release from the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.
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“After reviewing (St. Joseph County Metro Homicide’s) investigation into this incident, the Prosecutor’s Office has determined that Michael Parcher’s actions in shooting Curtis Trent constituted justifiable homicide,” the press release read.
Parcher arrived at his home in the 400 block of Corby Boulevard at about 11 a.m. July 28 to find a man — later identified as 45-year-old Curtis Trent — rifling through an upstairs bedroom. Parcher confronted Trent and Trent knocked him down the stairs as he tried to run from the home. At some point during the scuffle, a gunshot went off and struck Trent.
Trent was found laying facedown near the backdoor and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The investigation is closed.
