Homeowner shoots and kills a man trying to break into a Wake Forest house
A homeowner shot and killed a man who was attempting to break into a Wake Forest home, according to a news release from police.
Wake Forest Police found Steven Dallas Contestable, 34, after responding to a reported shooting along the 100 block of Abercrombie Road, a residential area, at around 3:20 a.m. Monday.
Contestable died about an hour later.
Police say Contestable, of Raleigh, was trying to gain entry into the Abercrombie Road home by breaking panes of glass on a door. The homeowner, a legal gun owner, confronted him, then shot Contestable after giving him “repeated verbal warnings,” the police news release said.
No charges are being filed as of Monday.
The News & Observer previously reported that North Carolina law says someone can use “defensive force that is likely to cause death or serious bodily harm to another” to protect their home, vehicle, or workplace if:
Someone is trying to remove you from the premises against your will.
You have a reason to believe that an “unlawful and forcible” entry or act is occurring.
Shooting at Lowes Foods in Wake Forest
The Monday shooting was the second incident of gunfire in the town in less than two days, according to police.
Wake Forest Police also arrested and charged a Raleigh man suspected to have fired a gun at two people in a parking lot of Lowes Foods on Saturday after 9 p.m.
Police say the incident was domestic violence-related.
The suspect, Mirza Zukanovic, 35, fled the scene in a vehicle. A bystander, who was armed and licensed to carry, fired his own handgun at Zukanovic, according to police.
No one was injured and there is no known damage to property.
A short time later, officers responded to a crash involving Zukanovic along Stadium Drive.
Zukanovic was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a firearm in the city limits, driving while impaired, no operators license, failure to wear a seatbelt and failure to maintain lane control.
He is being held in Wake County jail no bond.
Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to call the Police Tip Line at 919-435-9610 and can remain anonymous.
Reporter Evan Moore contributed.
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This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 11:08 AM.
