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New Bohemians Shooting Self-Defense
Dallas police said the man who shot and killed New Bohemians’ keyboardist Jeffrey Carter Albrecht September 3rd might not face charges under a state law that allows homeowners to use deadly force in self-defense.
Dallas Police spokesman Sgt. Larry Lewis said a grand jury will review the case against the unidentified man but the department itself won’t file charges.
Lewis said 34-year-old Albrecht was drunk and had been fighting with his girlfriend, who locked him out of her house, just before he tried to kick down the door at her neighbor’s house. The homeowner, who thought a burglar was trying to break in, yelled out a warning to Albrecht that he had a gun.
"He yelled several verbal warnings, ‘I’ll shoot! I’ll shoot!’ Lewis said. "From what we gather, he fired near the top of the door, hoping he would scare the person away."
The musician, who has been with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians since 1999, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
The couple didn’t have a history of domestic violence but the girlfriend reportedly had bruises on her face, according to a police report.
The homeowner was not arrested because a recently enacted state law, nicknamed "Castle Doctrine," gives Texans a stronger legal right to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, cars and workplaces.
Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins said an earlier law on the books already gave Texans the right to use deadly force to protect their property from someone committing "criminal mischief at nighttime."
"In an incident like that you’re well within your rights under the old law, as well as the new one, to use deadly force," he said.
The keyboardist had worked with various artists included Paul Simon and Charlie Sexton. He also performed with Dallas rock band Sorta as well as New Bohemians.
"We are all completely devastated by the news of Carter’s death, and obviously still quite in shock," New Bohemians drummer Brandon Aly said in a statement.