Michigan man charged after fatally shooting teen who broke into garage
Michigan resident Dayton Knapton, 24, is charged with manslaughter for fatally shooting a teen burglary suspect.
A Michigan man is facing manslaughter charges after fatally shooting a 17-year-old who, authorities say, broke into his garage—renewing debate over the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Sivan Wilson was with six other mostly teenage companions when they broke into Dayton Knapton’s White Lake garage shortly after 1 a.m. on July 8, police reported.
Knapton, 24, received a home security alert, grabbed a 9mm handgun, and fired two shots into the garage through a windowless door, striking Wilson, according to law enforcement and prosecutors. As the group fled, Knapton fired five additional shots, then returned inside his home, reloaded, and went back outside, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said.
“She was running away and got shot,” Wilson’s father, Shawn Madden, told local media. Another teenager in the group was hit in the leg.
White Lake Township police arrived after being notified of two shooting victims in Commerce Township, but Sivan succumbed to her injuries later that night.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald criticized Knapton’s actions: “This defendant crossed the line by firing outside his home at fleeing persons. His actions not only took a life but potentially endangered the surrounding community by firing his weapon into the night.”
Knapton has been charged with manslaughter, assault with intent to cause bodily harm, and two firearm offenses. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the top charge.
Sivan’s family, however, believes the shooting should be prosecuted as murder. “It doesn’t make sense that it wasn’t done out of malice and for them to charge him with manslaughter when everything in the report suggests it was malicious intent,” said Wilson’s sister, Armani Madden.
Knapton’s attorney, Dov Lustig, argued the shooting was justified. “This is a case of stone-cold self-defense,” Lustig told local media.
Knapton pleaded not guilty in November and was released on a $200,000 cash bond. Michigan law permits the use of deadly force against intruders if the resident has an “honest and reasonable belief” that their life is in danger.
Lustig noted that Knapton’s home had been broken into multiple times previously and that police advised him to improve his home security system. A neighbor told Fox News that Knapton kept dirt bikes in the garage, though it’s unclear if that was the target of the break-in.
Four minors and a 21-year-old involved with Wilson have been charged with breaking and entering, prosecutors said.
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