A DeKalb County homeowner who was arrested last week is accused of shooting and killing a man he spotted on his home security system.
Joseph Schaber, 40, is jailed on a charge of felony murder in the March 29 death of 58-year-old William Stevenson. According to a police report obtained Tuesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Schaber assumed Stevenson was trying to break into his Belvedere Park home.
Stevenson was dead when police and paramedics responded to the home on Laguna Drive about 10 p.m. Officers met with Schaber, who described his version of events and willingly handed over his .40-caliber handgun, according to the report.
He told police he was sitting on his couch, watching the evening news, when his security system sent an alert to his cellphone about motion near his back door.
“Mr. Schaber then went to his back door to investigate the motion, when he observed an elderly black male, William Stevenson, in his backyard, however, he never made entry into the home nor was there any damage done to the property whatsoever,” an officer said in the report.
Schaber said Stevenson charged at him and then ran around the side of the house toward the front yard, the officer said. It was at that time, Schaber told police, that he grabbed his gun.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Stevenson was shot several times, according to the report. It’s unclear what the man, who is from the same area of DeKalb County, was doing on the property.
“Due to the position of Mr. Stevenson, it was determined on scene that Mr. Stevenson was attempting to flee the scene at the time when he was shot,” the investigating officer said.
Schaber was taken into custody at the scene. In addition to the felony murder charge, he is accused of possessing a gun during the commission of a felony.
He is being held in the DeKalb County jail without bond.
