Accused Carjacker Dies after Being Shot on Detroit's West Side

DETROIT (WJBK) - Darrell Standberry said he's had a CCW for years and has never once fired his gun, but that all changed at a gas station on Detroit's west side Monday night.

"(It's) like my American Express card. I don't leave home without it," he said.

Having that gun may have saved Standberry's life. He pulled into a gas station, got out of his car and within a matter of seconds was reportedly being carjacked by a 19-year-old.

"He jumped in the driver's seat and I asked him to get out of my vehicle," he told FOX 2's Alexis Wiley.

That's when Standberry said the confrontation took a deadly turn.

"He reached in his pants pocket or in between his (legs) like he was about to pull out a weapon," he explained. "I fired one time."

The bullet hit the 19-year-old in the side. He took off in Standberry's SUV, then crashed about a block away. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accused carjacker did have a gun on him. Police took Standberry into custody, but released him about an hour later. He told us he is still having trouble coming to grips with what he did.

"I never wanted to take anyone's life," said Standberry.

But he knows why he did it.

"I know for a fact I feared for my life at that point, so that's why I fired my weapon," he said.

If Standberry's story checks out, it sounds like this was a clear case of self defense.

"You can not use deadly force to protect your property, but you can use deadly force to protect yourself," said FOX 2 legal analyst Charlie Langton.

Standberry is hoping he will never be in a situation like this ever again, but if it does happen, he knows what he'll do.

"Just be prepared at any point in time because you never know when it's going to happen," he said.

As always, police will forward this case to the Wayne County prosecutor and she will decide whether to press charges.