James Rayl video: Mitch Duckro shoots dead daughter’s ex boyfriend trying to break into family’s Sydney, Ohio home. Father avoids charges on state’s stand your ground law as Rayl’s family demand justice.
Doorbell video has been released showing the moment an Ohio homeowner shot and killed his daughter’s ex-boyfriend as he tried to break into the family’s home over the summer.
The fatal shooting took place in Sydney, Ohio, on July 31, resulting in the death of 22-year-old James Rayl.
Newly released doorbell video, obtained by WHIO-TV 7, shows Rayl trying to open the door after being told by the family inside to go away.
Defiant, Rayl then appears to try to break down the wooden front door by slamming his shoulder against it.
The ex-girlfriend’s father, Mitch Duckro, is heard warning Rayl that he is armed.
James Rayl attempts to break into ex girlfriends house, gets shot by ex’s father pic.twitter.com/FCblTurayx
— TheBestJesusChrist (@BestJesus415) August 29, 2022
‘Dad, is he trying to kill me?’
The door is eventually forced open and three gunshots ring out, sending Rayl fleeing, the clip shows.
The 22-year-old makes his way down the porch steps and walks a short distance before collapsing in the middle of a pathway.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. An autopsy later found that Rayl sustained two gunshot wounds to the shoulders and a fatal wound to the back, according to a joint press release from the county prosecutor and the local sheriff, as cited by Sidney Daily News.
In a 911 audio recording from the incident, a woman who described the intruder as her ex-boyfriend is heard telling her father that Rayl is trying to break down the door.
‘Dad, is he trying to kill me?’ the woman could be heard saying.
After Duckro shoots at Rayl, his daughter is heard telling him, ‘Dad, there’s nothing you could have done. You saved my life’.
Earlier this month, a Shelby County grand jury voted 8-1 against indicting Duckro on charges related to Rayl’s killing, citing the state’s ‘Stand Your Ground‘ law, which states that a homeowner does not have a legal duty to retreat from their home before firing a gun.
Dead man’s family demand justice
Rayl’s family has reacted with outrage to the news that Duckro will not be held accountable for the shooting and launched a Facebook page demanding justice.
‘Mitch shot him in the back and killed him,’ Rayl’s sister Jessica Colbert wrote in a recent Facebook post.
‘I hope your days are more miserable than they’ve ever been. You’re a disgusting excuse of a human being along with your daughter.’
The Duckro have family have since placed the 3 bedroom family home for sale, with an asking price of $436,000.
