PORTAGE, Mich. — A Portage homeowner has been charged with open murder after fatally stabbing a man he says was attempting to break into his vehicle in the early morning hours of Wednesday, September 30.

Portage Department of Public Safety officers responded to an assault at a home near Cedarcrest Avenue and Briarhill Drive at just before 3:15 a.m. Wednesday.

The 54-year-old homeowner told PDPS that someone had come onto his driveway and attempted to break into his car. The homeowner confronted the intruder, identified as 51-year-old Roy Harris James Jr. of Kalamazoo.

The homeowner told police that James Jr. pulled a knife on him and the two got into a physical struggle, during which James Jr. was fatally stabbed. Another person called 911 during the altercation, according to PDPS.

James Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene.

The homeowner was arrested and lodged in the Kalamazoo County Jail on a charge of open murder, according to PDPS.

Residents of the neighborhood described the area as quiet and close-knit. One woman said she felt the homeowner was defending himself.

"It's a very quiet neighborhood. So I'm glad, but I'm happy we don't have this very often. But I do feel sorry for the guy that got kind of stuck in the middle," the resident told reporters.

The woman said she believed the homeowner was acting in self-defense.

"I find that as defending yourself and keeping yourself alive. I don't think you should be persecuted for that," she said.

Local attorney Sarissa Montague, of Montkou Montague Levine Defense, said an arrest following a deadly incident does not necessarily mean prosecutors have decided what charges will ultimately be pursued.

"Anytime that there's a death of some sort, it's up to law enforcement to investigate that death," Montague said. "And it's up to the prosecutor's office to decide whether or not charges should be authorized."

Montague added that Michigan's self-defense law can apply both inside and outside the home, depending on the circumstances.

"Whether you're in the house, outside the house, anywhere that you're allowed to be, then the Michigan self-defense statute might cover your actions," she said.

The case is expected to be reviewed by the Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which is scheduled to make a final charging decision on Thursday, October 1.