A California man is dead from what prosecutors called a “justifiable homicide” early Saturday morning after he tried to kidnap his estranged wife and was shot by a witness.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office says Christopher Saunders, 35, drove to an apartment in Sacramento shortly after midnight, left his car running in the parking lot, and began banging on the door.

Saunders’ estranged wife lived at the apartment with another woman, a man, and minor children. They answered the door, and when they did, Saunders rushed in, grabbed his wife, and demanded that she leave with him. She refused, and the adults in the apartment told him to leave.

Saunders then got into a physical fight with the people in the apartment, including a 15-year-old child. At that point, the man who lived in the apartment pulled out a legally possessed gun and shot Saunders in the chest.

Deputies arrived on scene and found Saunders outside. They administered first aid until medics arrived, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The man who shot Saunders was temporarily detained until the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office made the preliminary determination that the incident involved a “justifiable homicide.” The district attorney will make a final determination later.

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