MICHIGAN

A lawyer for the family of a 19-year-old woman shot to death by a homeowner on his suburban Detroit porch says the man should have dialed 911 before pulling the trigger.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to announce this morning whether she will seek charges in the Nov. 2 death of Renisha McBride in Dearborn Heights.

An autopsy released this week ruled McBride died of a gunshot wound to her face. A toxicology report released Thursday showed she had alcohol and marijuana in her system.

The reports provide some information about the circumstances of a shooting in which few details have been made public. But Gerald Thurswell, the McBride family’s attorney, said the toxicology report has no bearing on the case as far as he’s concerned.

Thurswell said the homeowner called 911 after the shooting and police were there within two minutes.

“If he had called 911 when he heard her outside his house, (the police) would have been there within two minutes and she would be alive today,” Thurswell said. “Maybe she would have been arrested for being intoxicated, but she would not be dead.”

The report said McBride’s blood alcohol content was about 0.22, more than twice the legal limit for driving. Her blood also tested positive for the active ingredient in marijuana.

Police believe McBride was involved in a car accident several blocks north in Detroit before the shooting. Thurswell says she likely went to the home seeking help.

Under a 2006 Michigan selfdefense law, a homeowner has the right to use force during a break-in. Otherwise, a person must show his or her life was in danger.

The shooting has prompted calls for a thorough investigation from civil rights groups that say race was a factor. McBride was an African- American. The race of the 54- year-old homeowner has not been revealed by authorities.

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