DA decides not to charge homeown

In May 2022, Michael Owen was shot by a homeowner as the District Attorney said he was trying to break in through the front door

LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. WBIR.com— The District Attorney General of Loudon County announced Wednesday that he would not bring criminal charges against a person who shot a man he said was trying to break in through his front door. On Wednesday, District Attorney Russell Johnson said a Grand Jury concurred with the decision.

He said the Lenoir City Police Department was called by a neighbor to 502 West 2nd Avenue for a domestic disturbance. According to authorities, Michael Owen had cut his head jumping through a window of the home before they arrived. They said the address was known to them as a "drug house."

After jumping through the window, they said he walked across the street to another home, yelling and banging on the front door. They said he was trying to force the door open and in the process, broke a glass, fan-shaped window at the top of the door.

The homeowner's father was trying to keep the door closed after Owen tried to get it partly open, they said.

Then, the homeowner shot at the door with a rifle five times, killing Owen at the threshold.

An autopsy showed that he was hit several times with gunshots that penetrated the door. It also revealed marijuana and "an extremely high level of methamphetamine" in his system, according to a release from the District Attorney's Office.

LCPD body camera captured some of the events, according to the release. They said in the footage there is audio of the event. Viewers can hear loud shouting before multiple shots are fired from inside the house, according to the release.

From District Attorney Russell Johnson:

The Grand Jury reviewed a presentation by Lenoir City Police Department detectives Lynnette Ladd and Jon Yates delineating the findings of their investigations of a fatal shooting wherein Michael Owen was shot by the resident/homeowner of a neighboring W. 2nd Avenue home on the evening of May 17, 2022. At the time of the shooting, Owen was trying to make forced entry into the homeowner’s residence which was occupied by the homeowner and his parents.

Owen had just jumped through a window at 502 W. 2nd Avenue (a known drug house belonging to Bruce Jenkins) when LCPD was called by a different neighbor to that 502 residence because of a domestic disturbance or fight. LCPD body camera with audio captured some of the event and you can hear a loud noise followed by banging on the door of neighboring W. 2nd Avenue home by Owen with loud shouting before multiple shots are fired from inside the house and through the door by the owner of the neighboring W. 2nd Avenue home killing Owen on the other side of the door on the doorstep.

The investigation of the scene revealed that Owen had first thrown a large planter at the front porch window of the house and that the screws came loose in the window frame from the impact. There was blood and a bloody handprint on the window left by Owen.

It was determined that Owen had cut his head jumping through the window of 502 W. 2nd Avenue before making his way across the street and up to neighboring W. 2nd Avenue home. Owen then made his way to the front door yelling and banging on the door trying to make entry. In the process of Owen trying to force the door open, Owen broke out the glass fan shaped window at the top of the door. The homeowner's older father was trying to close and keep the door closed after Owen had gotten it partly open. At this point the homeowner son shot five times with a rifle through the door killing Owen.

The autopsy revealed that Owen was hit multiple times with the gunshots that went through the door. There was marijuana in his system and an extremely high level of methamphetamine.

The Grand Jury concurred with the District Attorney General's decision not to bring criminal charges against the shooter based upon self-defense and the 'stand your ground' statute.