Former cop weighs in on deadly shooting of Mesa mother of 7: 'No one in the right, no one in the wrong'

MESA, Ariz. - A law enforcement expert is weighing in on the shooting of a Mesa mother of seven, who was killed on the doorstep of her neighbor, who is a special agent with the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Timeline:

In a newly released video from neighbors, screaming can be heard for roughly 40 seconds from a woman and man. The neighbor who took that video told FOX 10 he thought it was just neighbors goofing off, but once he saw the reporting the next day, he realized it was something else.

Internal documents from the AG's office say a neighbor heard yelling around 2:15 that morning and recorded it. Detectives believe the voices were Lewis and her husband arguing shortly before she left their home after he said she smelled like alcohol.

Mesa police are recommending negligent homicide charges against AOG Special Agent Dulance Morin. He claims Lewis was banging on his door, and when he warned her he had a gun, she claimed she had one too. Morin told detectives he doesn’t remember the door opening or pulling the trigger, but admitted the shot was fired from his hand and called it an accident.

What they're saying:

Josh Logan, the co-founder of Guardian Training & Consulting, says without all the facts, it’s impossible to say what was justified at that moment.

"You know, there's nobody in the right, nobody in the wrong," Logan said.

As a former police officer, Logan says using deadly force is never something he was trained to take lightly.

"I have all the tools and the training to deal with incidents like this. And I don't ever wanna have to use that," Logan said.

Big picture view:

Given the facts of the case so far, Logan says he's seen many incidents similar to this.

"So I've been to similar circumstances where we've had upset individuals or intoxicated individuals that are trying to get in what they believe to get in their own home," Logan said. "They're trying to break into the home of another person, but they believe in their mind in that moment that they're actually trying to get in their own home."

Dig deeper:

If the case ends up in court, he says Morin’s defense could argue a classic case of Arizona’s Castle Doctrine.

"He believes that somebody is trying to break down his door to potentially harm his family," Logan said.

While he admits a perfect conclusion in this case may not be possible, he says it’s up to investigators to come up with the most reasonable one.

"What would a similar person with a similar background do in that similar circumstances, given those circumstances? And it's tough," Logan said.

What's next:

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Morin has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this case. Now it’s up to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to decide whether to file formal charges.