Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in March 2017.
The grandfather of one of the three teen suspects killed during a break-in on Monday has spoken out for the first time. Leroy Schumacher, the grandfather of 17-year-old Jacob Redfearn, believes that the deaths of Jacob and his friends was not necessary.
He said: “What these three boys did was stupid. They knew they could be punished for it but they did not deserve to die.”
On Monday, Redfearn, 19-year-old Maxwell Cook, and 16-year-old Jake Woodruff broke into the Wagoner County home, where they were shot by the homeowner’s son.
Schumacher stated that his grandson, who never got into trouble, didn’t stand a chance.
“Brass knuckles against an AR-15, come on, who was afraid for their life,” he said.
Following the shooting, Wagoner County deputies arrested the alleged getaway driver, 21-year-old Elizabeth Rodriguez.
Schumacher said that he believed Elizabeth was the ringleader, and investigators revealed that she’d admitted to planning the crime.
The shooter was not charged with a crime, and deputies believe that he was acting in self-defense.
“There’s got to be a limit to that law, I mean he shot all three of them; there was no need for that,” Schumacher said.
He added that while he does support the right to bear arms and protect your home, he doesn’t agree with shooting and killing intruders.
“These boys’ families are going to suffer with this the rest of their lives, we have to live with this the rest of our lives,” he said, adding that he knew that the situation was caused by the teens’ poor choices.
Schumacher hopes that the death of the three teens will serve as an example for others.
“You can’t change history, but you can damn sure learn from it, and maybe some kids will learn from this,” he said.