Man Killed Burglary Suspect As Teen Tried To Drive Away

By Bob Owens

The Minnesota “home invasion” shooting that led to the arrest of the homeowner in manslaughter charges within hours of the incident was every bit as bad as we thought it must have been to warrant the arrest of the homeowner so quickly after the crime.

This isn’t close to being a legitimate case of self defense.

Madelia is the kind of place, as one resident put it, where “you can dial a wrong number and still wind up talking to the person for half an hour.”

Which made it all the more shocking for many here Monday when they learned that a local farmer now faces criminal charges in the shooting death of a teenager who allegedly trespassed on his property early Saturday.

David A. Pettersen, 65, was charged Monday in Watonwan County District Court with second-degree manslaughter and intentional discharge of a firearm in connection with the death of Nicolas T. Embertson, 19, of Madelia.

Pettersen, who suspected that someone was breaking into his house after he heard a commotion on his deck, shot at the car Embertson was driving as it left his property, killing the teenager, according to the criminal charges.

“It’s damn tragic,” said Dennis Freitag, who tends bar at the …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms