How far can you go to protect your home?

The shooting of a man allegedly trespassing on Sen. R.C. Soles’ property has led to a lot of questions regarding what the law allows when it comes to shooting someone on your property.

According to the North Carolina Justice Academy: “North Carolina law does allow the use of deadly force against an intruder to prevent forcible entry into the home or residence, if the occupant reasonably apprehends that the intruder may kill or inflict serious bodily harm to the occupant. The law does not permit the use of deadly force solely to protect property, or to prevent theft. If only property is threatened, deadly force cannot be used. If entry can be prevented by non-deadly means, the use of deadly force would not be necessary.”