San Antonio, Texas



From the San Antonio Express-News of November 13, 2003.



This isn't one of the better examples, since the shooter was no longer directly being threatened. Keep in mind that Texas law is different from every other state: this action would be unlawful just about anywhere else:

A North Side man who fired several shots early Wednesday at a fleeing car after his truck was burglarized will not face charges, police said, because he was protecting his property.



When he heard the alarm on his Ford F-150 going off at 3 a.m., Jason Peña ran from his home in the 12100 block of Stoney Circle with gun in hand. He told police two men had pried open the pickup's door with a screwdriver.



He told them to "freeze," according to a police report.



The men ran off with Peña in pursuit. The taller, slimmer man jumped in a waiting Chevrolet Cavalier, and he and a driver sped off. Peña told police he fired several shots at the fleeing car but didn't know if any had struck the gray car or the people inside.

At least one didn't get away:

Police arrived to find Peña pointing his gun at Hugo Hernandez, lying face down in a driveway in the 12100 block of Ridge Summit.