Stalking people as prey leads to fatal results.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)

Ryan Bergner, 41, "was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds to his abdomen shortly after 10:30 p.m. at [an Indiana] hospital" on November 12, reported NBC5.com. According to the account of the incident from the 51-year-old Hessville woman who shot Bergner, she shot him (with a gun she borrowed from a friend that morning) after Bergner broke into her house and found her hiding in a closet. She says that she told him to stop, and when he didn't, she shot him three times. She claims that even after she shot him, he choked her until he lost his strength. She says that Bergner had been stalking her for months. Police reports confirm that the woman had made a "half-dozen previous complaints" against him, but police had not charged him in any of the incidents. She also claimed that she'd only been on one date with Bergner and had refused to see him a second time because of his temper.

The woman's story has been called into question by Bergner's family, who told nwi.com that "Ryan Lee Bergner was a 'gentle' and 'kind' man, and his family 'can't even believe' he would break into a woman's house and try to hurt her." They also dispute her claim that she only went on one date with Bergner. They say Bergner brought her to a family funeral and introduced her as his girlfriend. Becky Bergner, a sister-in-law, said, "They were dating. There was a relationship there. He was very fond of her."

But in sorting out which story to believe, the woman who shot Bergner has a couple of factors in her favor. First of all, when the woman was at work, Bergner allegedly had to be ejected by coworkers (this can easily be verified by police). Secondly, she called 911 moments before the shooting and told an operator that Bergner was trying to break in and had ...