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Little Falls Man Due In Court Today After Thanksgiving Shooting

Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 5:43 am

A Little Falls man was arrested and is due in court today after he told police he shot and killed two teenagers who he said were breaking into his home on Thanksgiving Day.

The sheriff’s department told the Associated Press that police visited his home near Little Falls on Friday afternoon. Officers say 64-year-old Byron David Smith immediately confessed to killing two people the previous day about noon.

Deputies found the bodies of an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy in his basement.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says a preliminary investigation led authorities to arrest Smith for second-degree murder.

Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel says people have every right to defend themselves and their homes, but circumstances suggest Smith went beyond that point.

Smith is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday afternoon.

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