When a relationship ends, it’s usually wise to just let it end. However, some people can’t seem to do that and this story is one example of bad decisions leading to a justifiable shooting that ended in death.  

William David Griffis was a local man with a history of strange, menacing behavior. While most of his behavior did not necessarily warrant an arrest, his name appears in a published sheriff’s report in The Sylva Herald and Rualite newspaper on Sept. 1, 2011. According to the North Carolina paper's online archive, he was arrested and, as published, “William David Griffis, 45, arrested for making harassing phone calls.” It sounds fairly benign, and perhaps it was.

However, fast forward to Sept. 10, 2018, and records published on the wlos.com news website indicate Griffis was charged with stalking his former girlfriend.  

It should have ended there. But it obviously did not.

Twelve days later, on Sept. 22, 2018, Griffis decided he needed to try to convince his ex- to give their relationship another chance. He “illegally and forcibly” broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home so they could talk. He had with him a cooler of beer. It was clear he was intoxicated. The woman felt understandably uncomfortable, and called her cousin to come give her support.  

The cousin arrived with him a gun for protection. Evidently, Griffis had a reputation that would require such a measure of protection. Initially, Griffis took heed of the warning and left with his belongings, including the cooler of beer. The woman and her male cousin locked themselves inside the home.

But soon Griffis returned. According to wlos.com, when he came back he began yelling and calling his ex-girlfriend names and honking his car horn. When he exited his vehicle, he was armed with a baseball bat and a rake handle, threatening violence against the woman.    

The terrified woman then phoned police, who were dispatched to Sols Creek Baptist Church Road. By the time they arrived, the woman’s cousin had been forced to use deadly force to protect them both. Griffis had decided to kick in the door to the home and break the chain lock. The police briefly detained the two, but no arrests were made.  

Jackson County District Attorney Ashley Welch told wlos.com that, “Under the statutory castle doctrine in North Carolina, the shooter had the right to defend, with deadly force, both himself and the woman with whom Griffis had had a relationship.”

It was later clarified that there was a history of domestic violence in the relationship between Griffis and the woman, and that “the shooter’s actions were reasonable and justifiable.” 

While citizen-times.com initially reported that Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Maj. Shannon Queens informed them that investigations by the Jackson County Sheriff and the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation were ongoing, Jackson County District Attorney Ashley Welch determined that Griffis’ death was, “self defense, and no criminal charges will be filed.”