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Man arrested after shooting at suspected thief

TOWN OF BELOIT — A town of Beloit man accused of shooting at a suspected thief was arrested early Friday morning on a charge of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Jacob M. Davenport, 31, of 1973 Shore Drive, told police he heard somebody open the door of his van in his driveway at about 5 a.m. Friday, Town of Beloit Police Chief Steve Kopp said.

When he looked outside, Davenport saw a man stealing items from the van.

“He exited his house with .40-caliber handgun, the suspect got into a vehicle driven by a female, and the homeowner began firing rounds at the suspect vehicle,” Kopp said.

Davenport told police he fired four shots. He thinks one of them hit the man in the chest “based on the reaction of the suspect,” and the other three bullets hit the car, Kopp said.

The gold Chevrolet Cavalier sped from the scene, Kopp said.

Neither the car nor the man Davenport said he shot had been located Friday, Kopp said.

Davenport told police he decided to fire his weapon because “he heard the engine rev on the suspect vehicle,” Kopp said.

Davenport was arrested, Kopp said, “because of the fact that he is indiscriminately firing rounds at someone in a vehicle. It’s a dangerous situation.”

The use of deadly force, such as firing a handgun, is lawful only to protect yourself or others from great bodily harm or death, Kopp said.

Davenport was being held at the Rock County Jail pending his initial appearance in Rock County Court.