Karma is a bitch, part IV...

District Attorney: Shooting death justified

Reported by: Jaime Meyers

A man is cleared in a fatal York County shooting. He shared his story with CBS 21 News. Brian Fentiman found himself in the type of situation many of us have thought about and wondered what we would do. He chose to take action and that decision resulted in the death of 42-year-old Douglas Need. Fentiman says it all began on June 28th when he was driving after dinner with his fiancée Maria. He says, “He ran back to the car, reached through the window and started hitting them.” He says he saw Douglas Need attacking two women on east Philadelphia Street in York. Fentiman, a former soldier, followed to see if he could help. “He just started pounding on the door. I was absolutely in fear he was going to harm Maria… I drew my weapon and chambered a round and ordered Mr. Need to get away from me.” Need backed off. His passenger, Fred Minnich, was brandishing a box cutter at other people who had stopped to help. But then Need turned his attention back to Fentiman, who was out of the car. “Mr. Need started coming up to me, waving his arms, and telling me to just shoot him… He kept coming, coming at me, that's when I fired my first shot into his thigh,” Says Fentiman. “He didn't stop. He got to me. He grabbed my shirt, ripped the top button, grabbed my arm, and that's when I shot him point blank, the second time, in the thigh… One of the ladies, as I was on the way to the police car, handcuffed, thanked me for saving her life.” Fenitman says he got a concealed weapons permit for the 45, a gift from his fiancée, because they do real estate business in questionable neighborhoods. He says he never thought he would need it for a situation like this. “I wasn't looking to kill anybody. I was just looking to stop the man.” Police and the district attorney say Fenitman used justifiable force, but it's still hard to come to terms with, and he's gone to a psychiatrist to help him deal with the emotions that come with taking a life. “He was a human being, he had a life and it was my actions that stopped him.” Fentiman's fiancée, Maria, was present for our interview. She says, though traumatic, this has brought them closer. Need's passenger, Fred Minnich is facing charges simple assault and possibly more. Police believe both Minnich and Need had been drinking before they got in the car. Need cut several other drivers off, including the two women, who also had a baby in the backseat. They yelled at Need and that's what started everything.