Midwest City resident cleared by DA in fatal shooting
MIDWEST CITY — After breaking into the New Community Church down the street and stealing a sledgehammer from a truck, the burglar in the black hoodie was trying to force his way into a small, isolated house on Le Jean Drive, police say.
It would be his last stop. Inside the house, George Martin, 62, heard noises at his front window, back door and finally the front door.
“He initially thought it was some type of animal. As the noises continued, he grabbed his shotgun from the bedroom. He went to the front door to investigate,” Police Chief Brandon Clabes told The Oklahoman on Friday.
“Someone tried to break in my house. I opened the door,” Martin said in a shaky voice in a 911 call made at 3:41 a.m. June 24. “And he rushed at me and I shot him.”
Police on Friday released the 911 call and details of the fatal shooting at 10717 Le Jean Drive. Police identified the burglary suspect as Michael F. Moler, 16, of Midwest City. Police described him as a Carl Albert High School student.
Police reported Moler was carrying a framing hammer and had raised it in a threatening manner toward Martin.
“He rushed at me with the hammer and then he saw my gun and ... then he yelled something. I don’t know what he yelled. And then I shot him,” Martin said in the 911 call.
Moler ran a short distance, collapsed in the driveway and died there from his wounds, police said. Inside a backpack, officers found the stolen sledgehammer and items from the church, police said.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has reviewed the circumstances and determined the shooting was justified.
The police chief said: “Any person who makes a conscious decision to commit this type of crime should take note that homeowners have the legal right to protect themselves. That’s what happened in this event and the law saved an innocent victim.”
Police had not disclosed anything to the public about the fatal shooting until being asked about it by The Oklahoman. “Out of compassion for the victim and the parents of the suspect, no information was released until today due to a specific request,” Clabes said Friday.