A Tuscola County man was shot and killed while breaking into the home of an ex-girlfriend, according to Oakland County authorities.
The man, who was identified as 67-year-old Galen Gavitt of Unionville, had a history of making death threats, and his 62-year-old ex-girlfriend had both a valid personal protection order and an extreme risk protection order issued against him. The woman had moved into the Orion Township home of her stepson and his wife after her 17 year relationship with the Unionville man soured, and she was granted the extreme risk protection order against him just last month, on June 12, with two weapons confiscated from Gavitt that same day.
However, shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17, emergency dispatchers were called by the stepson, and deputies were dispatched to the scene for a breaking and entering. The 36-year-old man informed dispatchers that both he and his stepmother feared Gavitt and for their safety, with the pair attempting to barricade themselves in an upstairs bedroom when Gavitt broke through a window at the home’s rear with an ax and entered the residence.
Both men were armed with handguns during the incident, with Gavitt’s described as a .38 caliber revolver. As the stepson attempted to hold the door shut and prevent Gavitt from getting further, Gavitt fired a shot through the bedroom floor, causing the stepson to fall. Stepping over the younger man, Gavitt reportedly stated that he was there for his ex-girlfriend, who had locked herself in an adjoining bathroom.
However, as Gavitt attempted to enter the bathroom, the stepson fired a single shot and struck the intruder in the head. Despite attempts by deputies, Gavitt was pronounced deceased at the scene, with the incident remaining under investigation.
