Late on Sunday night in Trenton, New Jersey, a homeowner was forced to defend his residence and his life from an intruder wielding a hammer in a brazen attempt at breaking and entering. This incident occurred around 10:25 p.m. and ended in the fatal shooting of the intruder, 34-year-old Andray Ingram, by the homeowner, whose name has not been released by authorities.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the sequence of events unfolded as Ingram, a Trenton local, was caught on a Ring camera smashing his way into the entrance of the home located on the 200 block of Bert Avenue. As the intruder breached the vestibule of the house, the homeowner retrieved his firearm and made the split-second decision to shoot Ingram in the chest, leading to the his death from the injuries sustained.
Found by Trenton Police officers on nearby St. Francis Avenue, Ingram was quickly transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Despite the fatal outcome, authorities have not charged the homeowner, although they have stated that their investigation into the matter continues.
This incident raises several pertinent questions about the rights of homeowners and the measures individuals are permitted to take in defending their properties. However, it also underscores a chilling reality that many citizens face: the threat of home invasion and the dire consequences such scenarios can entail. New Jersey’s backward laws could very well land the homeowner in their own legal troubles. Unlike other states, New Jersey is not a stand-you-ground state, and as such, the duty to retreat falls on the homeowner.
As is unfortunately typical of states run by authoritarian gun-controlling regimes, the state would rather protect the criminal over the law-abiding citizen.
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri’s office has provided details on the incident, yet they have remained relatively tight-lipped about specifics, including the exact location of the shooting, only specifying it took place on Bert Avenue. This reticence, however, does not diminish the gravity of the situation nor the discussions likely to ensue regarding homeowners’ rights to protect themselves and their property.
Although no charges have been filed against the homeowner to date, the ongoing investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department into the shooting highlights the complexities surrounding cases of home defense in a state like New Jersey that protects criminal action and punishes the law-abiding. One would think a hammer-wielding assailant who breaks into your home would be justification enough to defend your life and property. Apparently, NJ’s prosecutors do not see it as clear-cut.
As this story continues to unfold, it will undoubtedly become a focal point for debates on self-defense laws, the rights of property owners, and the measures individuals are allowed to take in safeguarding their homes and loved ones.
About Tred Law
Tred Law is your everyday patriot with a deep love for this country and a no-compromise approach to the Second Amendment. He does not write articles for Ammoland every week, but when he does write, it is usually about liberals Fing with his right to keep and bear arms.
criminal: “wanna get hammered”
owner: “no thanks”
BOOM!
the VICTIM/ shooter should be given tax free status for life and the keys to the city!!!!!
Saved tax slaves millions and prevented future predation on citizens
I think you can argue the case that a home invader is the same as a squatter, and that the only difference is that the homeowner is present in one case and not in the other. If there are no rights in property, then the state has abdicated its primary role as the protector of the citizen’s life, liberty, and property. Accordingly, they are illegitimate, and the rights of the citizen prevail over the delegated powers of the state. An argument, granted, but a strong one when the state has abdicated its responsibilities. We MUST be able to fire incompetents… Read more »
The fully acceptable conclusion to this tale appears in the first paragraph: “ended in the fatal shooting of the intruder.” Had this specific action not occurred, the outcome could have been truly tragic.
“the state would rather protect the criminal over the law-abiding citizen.” And this is how the US has been going since my birth, 64 long years ago. It also seems like it should be obvious to even a moron, that a state that defends its criminals against its honest citizens is a state run by its criminal element. The US government is a criminal institution, and it is truly that simple. All of the many thousands of our problems stem from this one large and rotten root. Until we can root out the criminals-in-charge nothing else anyone can do will… Read more »
A stone throw away from the defender’s residence, in Trenton, is the Delaware River, and that makes all the difference in the world for this, as well as many other cases in New Jersey. For on the other side of the Trenton-Axe Bridge is Pennsylvania, which when it comes to gun rights, to a New Jerseyan, might as well be Texas, Wyoming or Arizona. That the fact, venues make so much of the difference for law-abiding gun owners, is a main part of what our efforts are all about. A good start, vote out all Democrats!