You can indeed kill another human being with a rock, piece of concrete, or a brick, but these close-range impact weapons generally fail to impress those with firearms, and the time and the ability to employ them properly. A violent man in Harris County, Texas discovered that the hard way after he attacked his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend with a brick, only to have the new boyfriend respond with accurate gunfire.

A woman’s ex-boyfriend was shot to death after he showed up at her house attempting to attack her and her new boyfriend with a brick, according to Harris County Sheriff’s office.

The ex-boyfriend showed up to his ex-girlfriend’s house in the 11000 block of Canyon Star in northwest Harris County with a brick in hand attempting to attack the new couple early Wednesday morning, according to HCSO.

Officers say the woman’s new beau had a gun and shot the man to death.

The deceased apparently arrived at his ex-girlfriend’s home in a gated community, resulting in a 911 call from those inside the home. At some point, the ex-boyfriend allegedly tried to attack the new boyfriend with a brick, resulting in the new boyfriend firing a single shot to the chest of the ex-boyfriend, who died in the front yard of the home.

The case will be sent to a grand jury for review.

Depending on where you live in this country, and the exact details of the scenario, this could end up being ruled a legitimate self-defense shooting, or it could be ruled a criminal homicide. A key detail will be whether the ex-boyfriend attempted to break into the home, or whether the new boyfriend/ex-girlfriend opened the door to confront the ex-boyfriend outside the home.

If the couple was more or less safe inside the woman’s home and the ex-boyfriend forced his way before being shot, then this is a “clean shoot” almost anywhere, since a brick does constitute a deadly weapon and a home invasion justifies deadly force under castle doctrine.

If the new boyfriend or homeowner opened the door to confront the ex-boyfriend, however, we’re looking at a imperfect case of self-defense where they helped enable the confrontation by removing the barrier that kept them separated from the ex-boyfriend.

The case would still likely not result in charges in most jurisdictions, but an aggressive anti-gun prosecutor in some areas might elect to pursue charges against the boyfriend if he opened the door to confront the ex-boyfriend and shot him, or if he felt that the ex-boyfriend didn’t pose enough of a threat.

That is precisely what happened to Air Force Tech Sgt. Matt Pinkerton in Maryland, who shot and killed a man who kicked in his front door an attempted to attack those inside. Pinkerton shot the man twice in the chest in what seemed to be clear-cut self-defense, but the prosecutor filed 2nd degree murder charges against him anyway (those charges were subsequently thrown out by an irate judge).

It’s always best to call 911 and keep the door locked if an angry person comes to your home looking for trouble. Don’t put yourself in a situation where a prosecutor’s whims determine your freedom.