District Attorney General Chris Stanford of the 31st Judicial District cleared and commended a Warren County woman who Monday shot and killed a man he says was intent on harming her and her children.
Warren County Sheriff’s Department and McMinnville City Police Department responded to a shooting in McMinnville Monday and found that a man called Maurice Malone had been shot in the chest once. He died of his injuries.
According to a press release from Stanford’s office, the shooter, Desiree Mears, was justified in killing Malone in self-defense and that no charges will be filed against her.
“Further investigation clearly established that Desiree Mears held an honest and reasonable belief that the then occurring and previous actions, threats and behaviors of Maurice Malone posed an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death to Desiree Mears and/or her minor children,” the release said. “Thus, the shooting death of Mr. Malone is deemed justified as self-defense and defense of third parties. As a result of the clear case of self-defense and defense of a third-party present here, no charges will be brought against Desiree Mears in connection with the shooting death described herein.”
Stanford (pictured above) then commended Mears.
“I also want to commend Ms. Mears for her bravery as she acted under extreme pressure yet decided to protect herself and children from the imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death that she was imminently facing. It is never easy for victims of violence to stand up to those that are trying to hurt and kill them,” he said. “However, Ms. Mears’ bravery last night likely saved her life and the lives of her children, and she is commended for her courage.”
“It is never easy to take a life, even in the instance of a justified killing, such as this one.”
Stanford also thanked EMS and law enforcement for ensuring the public was safe, saying that they “ensured that the scene was professionally and efficiently processed, and proper charging decisions were made.”
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
