It was just a few weeks ago that 49-year-old Stephen Basquette was arrested and charged with domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature after allegedly assaulting a former partner and her new boyfriend. But Basquette was quickly released from jail in Pickens County, South Carolina after posting a $60,000 bond. 

Though the conditions of his release forbade Basquette from contacting his alleged victim, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office says the man showed up at the woman's home on Sunday night and made his way inside, where he once again assaulted both the homeowner and her male companion. 

This time around, however, Basquette's intended victim was ready to defend herself from harm.

Chief Deputy Chad Brooks with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office said the shooting happened Sunday just after 9:30 p.m.

He said deputies were called to a home on Crowe Creek Road, in Six Mile, and found Basquette dead at the scene.

During their investigation, deputies discovered the woman who owns the home shares a child with Basquette, according to Brooks.

He said she told deputies and evidence suggests that Basquette was assaulting the woman and another man Brooks described as "her male companion."

Brooks said the woman shot Basquette "because she was in fear for her life along with the life of her male companion."

Under South Carolina's Castle Doctrine, the woman had no duty to retreat to get away from Basquette, though authorities haven't said if that was even a possibility on Sunday night. So long as she was in a place where she was allowed to be (and her home would certainly apply) she had the right to stand her ground and use deadly force if she reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to herself or her companion. 

In this particular incident, the victim was able to protect herself, but we've also seen other recent defensive gun uses where family members have had to step in and act to save the lives of others from a domestic abuser. Authorities in Lee County, Florida recently ruled that the death of 55-year-old Norbert Mess was a justifiable use of deadly force after Mess had allegedly attacked a woman and her brother. According to police, the woman's juvenile son shot Mess in order to stop the assault on his uncle. 

[Cape Coral police spokesperson Officer Mercedes] Simonds said detectives uncovered that prior to the shooting Mess and his girlfriend argued. The woman called her brother to help her, who then arrived at the home to try to defuse the situation, she said.

When her brother arrived, Mess waited outside with a solid wooden rod and brass knuckles, Simonds said. 

Simonds said the woman's minor son, who lives at the home, saw his uncle getting beaten. To intervene, she said, the juvenile retrieved a firearm and pointed at Mess' direction. She declined to reveal additional information regarding the shooter, his mother or his uncle.

Mess saw the juvenile point the firearm, but continued to beat his girlfriend's brother, Simonds said. 

"At that point, the son was in fear for his uncle's life," Simonds said. "Multiple shots were fired."

Simonds said detectives recovered the brass knuckles from Mess.

It would be great if an order of protection actually prevented abusers from contacting their victims, but in many cases, it's just a piece of paper that affords no real protection at all. At the very least, they can provide documentation of abuse, and I would still encourage victims to obtain a protective order if that's an option. Having a backup plan in case the abuser decides to violate that order, however, should also be a priority, and in these cases, access to a firearm may very well have spared these victims from serious harm or even death.