Steven Kelley, 46, was found dead by deputies who responded Aug. 8 to a call about a shooting at the house in the North Carolina foothills west of Charlotte, authorities said. He was shot twice and killed by his girlfriend's 15-year-old daughter after he attacked the woman and threatened to kill her and her three children in the home they all shared, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said.
The children's late father had taught the girl and her siblings how to shoot and safely handle guns, allowing her to effectively use the single-action Colt .45-caliber revolver that had to be cocked between shots, said District Attorney Ted Bell.
"The late father had taught the children how to shoot," Bell said in a phone interview.
Bell said the mother had hidden guns around the house for protection when the boyfriend started acting dangerously in recent weeks. Bell said he believed the revolver was one of those firearms, but he said the boyfriend also kept guns in the house.
Bell said his office determined the shooting was justified and that no charges are warranted against the children.