Homeowner finds squatters inside house, shoots warning shot into floor

  This problem of returning to a house you own to find squatters occupying it is becoming disturbingly commonplace in America. In many states nowadays firing warning shots is illegal. This is counterintuitive since most people would think that a warning shot would be a humane way to deescalate a volatile situation and effectively warn off and deter would be assailants short of actually having to shoot them. Certainly this is the lesson Americans have been taught by the examples shown in decades of motion picture and television dramas. But that is not the case in many jurisdictions today. A warning shot is likely to be treated as an assault or reckless conduct endangering the public at large (the bullet has to land somewhere) by the authorities there. So in those places, ironically enough, if it is necessary and justified  for you to shoot at all it is likely necessary to shoot to kill. However, in castle doctrine states you are allowed to use lethal force against any intruder unlawfully entering or threatening you in your domicile. Additionally in many states, like Wisconsin for example, a land owner is not responsible for the safety of trespassers. So if a trespasser come to grief while on your property unlawfully you are not liable (keep in mind that does not allow you to set lethal booby traps for intruders in most states). In this particular case it appears the homeowners were not charged with a crime for firing warning shots to frighten off the squatters.

NAMPA, Idaho (KBOI) — Nampa Police are searching for two people after responding to a report of shots fired in a home.

Police say homeowners came into their house to do some maintenance work Wednesday night when they found a couple inside the home. When one of the squatters became aggressive, one of the homeowners fired a warning shot into the floor.

The couple fled the scene.

"When we came into the house, we found sleeping bags and signs of people getting out of the cold for the night," said Sgt. Jaime Burns with Nampa Police.

Officers are trying to identify the couple who was found in the home.

http://kboi2.com/news/local/homeowner-finds-squatters-inside-house-shoots-warning-shot-into-floor