Sparks, Nevada



From the Reno Gazette-Journal of December 24, 2004

Man killed in Sparks during struggle



A man was shot to death Friday after kicking down the door of his former girlfriend’s apartment and fighting with a male friend who had been asleep in a bedroom, Sparks police said.



The name of the deceased was not immediately released, pending the notification of relatives.



Charles Ketcham, 49, shot the former boyfriend several times with a handgun after the ex-boyfriend was beating his head with a metal lamp, police said. REMSA paramedics took the ex-boyfriend to Washoe Medical Center where he died.



The incident began around 2:40 a.m. when police received a call about an unwanted ex-boyfriend at an apartment on Beacon Hill Court, officers said.



When officers arrived, they found the ex-boyfriend in an upstairs bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds. The intruder reportedly attacked the woman before the shooting, according to authorities.



They said that in late November, the man had moved out of the apartment he had shared with the woman.



Ketcham was treated for head injuries and released.



He was described by authorities as a co-worker of the woman and had been asked by her Thursday to help get a restraining order against the ex-boyfriend. The former girlfriend had received a restraining order, but police said they did not believe it had been served.



Ketcham had fallen asleep at the woman’s residence and was there when the ex-boyfriend kicked down the door, police said.

No subsequent stories about this incident were found that would indicate that any charges were filed.