Two people who allegedly fired on men who’d broken into their residence as they ran away in Rutland are facing charges.
Lisa White, 35, of Rutland was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and providing false information to police. Anthony Keefe, 20, of Rutland is also charged with aggravated assault.
Both pleaded not guilty during separate arraignments Tuesday in Rutland County Superior criminal court.
Asked whether self-defense applied in the case, Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said, “The individuals were apparently fleeing from the residence, so at that point the dynamic changes.”
The charges stem from around 5 a.m. Monday, when police said they received several calls reporting a shooting on Water Street, where White and Keefe both were staying. Keefe is in a relationship with White’s daughter, according to court documents.
While en route to the scene, police were told a group of men had forced their way into the home, with at least one person armed with a shotgun, Detective Cpl. Adam Lucia wrote in an affidavit filed in court.
White also told police that she heard a loud “bang” at the door early Monday morning.
“White advised the door flew open and 3-4 people went down the hallway,” Lucia wrote in the affidavit. White said the men wore bandanas over their faces and one man stood by the door armed with what appeared to be a shotgun, according to Lucia.
The motive behind the alleged home invasion was not clear. Keefe later told police that two men with facemasks had entered the home and hit him with a stick, and that one of the men told him to “give them everything,” prompting him to offer his gaming systems, according to Lucia.
Keefe told police he had marijuana in his room but no other drugs, Lucia wrote.
White advised police that the man by the door told her to put her hands up and not to move, Lucia wrote. She said she ran to her bedroom, grabbed her handgun and went to fire it at the man at the door, but the gun didn’t fire because the safety was on.
The men then ran away, with one of them saying, “they have firearms,” White told police, and she fired at them as they fled, according to the affidavit.
Those men have not been accounted for, according to police.
“White advised she just wanted to scare the individuals, and not shoot anyone, but did not want anyone coming back to the residence,” Lucia wrote in the affidavit.
White later made a second statement to police in which she said that Keefe had fired a handgun in the direction of the fleeing men, according to the affidavit.
“White advised she lied to us about Keefe’s involvement, due to his age, the firearm, and the marijuana being his,” Lucia wrote in the affidavit.
If convicted of the charges against them, White faces up to 17 years in prison and Keefe faces 15 years.
The investigation into the home invasion is continuing, Kilcullen said.
