Photo: Twitter
The daughter feared he was 'trying to kill' her.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Aug 30, 2022
Security camera of a shooting that occured at an Ohio home last month has revealed that the victim was attempting to force his way into a home prior to his death.
James Rayl was killed after being shot three times by a man that is reported to be his ex-girlfriend's father.The entire shooting was captured on the family’s ring camera.
Mitch Duckro shot his daughter Allyson's ex-boyfriend who was attempting to break into their home.
On July 31, 22-year-old James Rayl showed up at his ex-girlfriend, Allyson Duckro’s, Sidney, Ohio home where she lived with her family. Ring camera footage depicts Rayl in a cap and a blue hoodie walking up the front steps to the door.
He rings the doorbell several times before opening the screen door and attempting to break down the wooden front door by slamming his shoulder into it repeatedly.
The family advises Rayl to leave numerous times. At one point, Mitch Duckro, Allyson’s father can be heard saying “I’ve got a gun,” warning Rayl to vacate the property.
Rayl refuses, however, and continues using his shoulder to force the front door open. When the door appears to open a few inches and Rayl attempts to enter the house, three gunshots ring out as Duckro opens fire on his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Rayl is hit and staggers down the front porch for a few moments before collapsing in the family’s driveway. In a 911 audio obtained by WHIO-TV 7, a distressed Allyson Duckro asks her father, “Dad, is he [Rayl] trying to kill me?”
The woman initially called 911 when Rayl was attempting to break into the house. After the shooting, shrill screams of terror can be heard on the ring camera footage and the 911 audio.
“I don’t want to look, please don’t make me look,” Allyson begged the 911 operator after they asked her to check on Rayl after he collapsed.
A neighbor of the Duckros, Jeffery Hereford, approached Rayl’s limp body before first responders arrived on the scene. Rayl suffered three gunshot wounds to both shoulders and received a fatal shot to the back.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Despite Rayl being killed on the Duckro property, Mitch Duckro will not face any criminal charges, due to the state of Ohio’s “Stand Your Ground” and “Castel Doctrine” laws that allow homeowners to open fire if they feel their property or themselves are in danger from an intruder.
All evidence, including the Ring camera footage, was presented to a Shelby County Grand Jury, where they voted eight to one not to indict Duckro.
Others, however, including Rayl’s family and the Duckro’s neighbor, Jeffery Hereford, disagree with the jury’s decision.
They believe that Duckro had no right to defend his family and property against Rayl using a lethal weapon since Rayl never made it fully inside the house.
“If he [Rayl] entered the house, why’d he [Duckro] shoot through the door?” Hereford asked.
Rayl’s sister, Jessica Marie Colbert, has launched a Facebook page demanding justice for her slain brother. “You should absolutely be ashamed of your actions all around,” she wrote on the page. “Every single one of you connected to the Duckro family that has no regard for my family whatsoever.”
“Mitch shot him in the back and killed him,” she continued. “I hope your days are more miserable than they've ever been. You're a disgusting excuse of a human being along with your daughter.”
Colbert has also posted several reels to her Instagram account claiming that there is more to the story and that her brother had no malicious intent when he showed up at the Duckro’s home. She hopes to keep Rayl’s memory alive.
Others believe that Duckro was within his right to shoot at Rayl.
“I think he had every right,” Shelby county resident Denesa Goings told WHIO-TV 7.
Duckro’s daughter recognizes the difficult decision her father was forced to make in a highly stressful situation.
“Dad, there’s nothing you could have done, you saved my life,” she is heard assuring her father in the 911 audio.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.