A shooting death earlier this year is ruled as justifiable.

The Greene County Prosecutor’s Office has ruled the shooting of a man in November during a home invasion in Stone County as a justifiable shooting.

Prosecutor Dan Patterson determined “the shooting was justified and, therefore, not a crime” in a letter sent to Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott. 

The letter, recapped by the Branson Tri-Lakes News, states investigators found Michael Ruhde was under the influence of methamphetamine and prior to the incident which resulted in his death, had been acting “erratically and in a threatening manner” by witnesses. Ruhde apparently had injured himself crawling or moving through the woods before the fatal incident.

Ruhde “violently advanced” toward the victim and attempted to grab the gun the victim was holding, at which point the victim shot Ruhde. 

The incident was investigated by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office because the victim in the case had a connection to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, thereby causing a conflict of interest for that department to investigate the case. 

The complete story can be found on the Branson Tri-Lakes News Website.

(Story by Jason Wert, Branson Tri-Lakes News)