A 42-year-old man has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed a 17-year-old boy who, along with an accomplice, had allegedly been repeatedly burglarizing cars on the suspect's block. And the suspect's family says it was self-defense.

KTVU has details from the October 2 shooting, in which 17-year-old Myles Wooten of Hayward was fatally shot while trying the flee the scene where he and another individual were allegedly seen trying to steal a car. This all happened on the 2100 block of Myrtle Street around 4:44 am.

The alleged illegal activity was happening outside 42-year-old Dante T. Floyd's home, and according to police, he came out of his house and started shooting at the two suspects, striking Wooten at least once. According to police, the car they were attempting to steal did not belong to Floyd.

Wooten was driven by his companion to a nearby hospital and dropped off there, and he later died from his wounds after being transferred to a different hospital, as Bay Area News Group reports.

Floyd's mother Frankie Edwards, and step-father Anthony Kimmins, who live with him in the same house along with a grandchild and Floyd's quadraplegic brother, tell KTVU that there is more to the story, and that would-be car thieves were armed and exchanged fire with their son.

"He didn't take matters into his own hands," Edwards tells the station, suggesting her son is not a vigilante. "What do you do when somebody starts shooting at you?"

Edwards and Kimmins showed reporters bullet holes in their home, as well as in a parked vehicle on the property. They also believe that Wooten and his accomplice had come to their block to burglarize vehicles before.

But the Alameda County District Attorney's Office has filed a murder charge against Floyd, suggesting that he didn't just fire in self-defense, but fired multiple times, even as

"We know that people are concerned and fearful about violent crime in the community," said District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson in a statement to KTVU. "But by no means is it acceptable to use violent force short of self-defense.  We encourage the public to allow law enforcement to do their job."

But neighbors sound sympathetic to Floyd, saying that they have faced an intrusion of violence and crime.

"It hurts. It's mindless," says neighbor Courtenay Bell, speaking to KTVU. "We aren't people who are inviting violence into our community. It's coming here. Anybody pushed into corners is going to react."

Floyd was reportedly arraigned Monday, though there have been no updates in the case. Floyd has not made any comments to the media, and he is currently being held without bail since his October 2 arrest.

Photo via Google Street View