This case is interesting due to the many factors involved. Was McClanahan's attempt at a citizen's arrest proper or should he have let Eads escape unharmed to burglarize or rob another home? Did McClanahan know his neighbor wasn't at home at the time or was he fearful her life may have been in danger? Did Eads escalate the situation into a justifiable self-defense situation when he tried to take McClanahan's gun? Did his willingness to attack an armed man demonstrate a danger to the public by allowing him to escape? The bottom line is that these questions will need to be answered by a jury, yet it was the criminal who was harmed and not an innocent civilian. To me, that is a check in the win column.

We may need to adjust the laws a little more in favor of the defender ...