A 45-year-old Lakewood man died Tuesday afternoon after being shot inside a home on the 1500 block of South Wright Street, and police are now investigating whether the shooting qualifies as a lawful act of self-defense. Mark Andrew Reins was found with an apparent gunshot wound around 4:30 p.m. and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
The Lakewood Police Department identified Reins as a local resident in a statement confirming agents responded to the report of a shooting, according to Lakewood Police Department. Police said the shooter has been identified and is cooperating with investigators as the case is being handled as a possible self-defense incident, as reported by FOX31 Denver. The shooting occurred on South Wright Street.
What Colorado Law Says About Self-Defense at Home
Any self-defense claim tied to a shooting inside a residence in Colorado runs up against a specific legal framework. Under the state's so-called Make My Day law, C.R.S. § 18-1-704.5, an occupant of a dwelling receives full criminal and civil immunity for using deadly force against an intruder, but only if the intruder entered unlawfully, the occupant reasonably believed the intruder had committed or intended to commit another crime inside the home, and the occupant reasonably believed the intruder might use physical force, per FindLaw reporting cited by the U.S. Firearms Training Academy. That statute, enacted in 1985, applies strictly inside dwellings and does not extend to yards or detached structures.
If those specific conditions are not met, Colorado's broader self-defense statute, C.R.S. § 18-1-704, still applies alongside established state Supreme Court precedent. That standard allows a person to use physical force in self-defense without any duty to retreat, so long as they reasonably believe lesser force would be inadequate and they face an imminent threat of unlawful physical force or serious bodily injury, according to the Colorado Criminal Lawyer. Colorado has no standalone stand-your-ground statute and instead relies on this body of judicial precedent for its no-duty-to-retreat doctrine.
How Prosecutors Will Review the Case
The shooting remains under investigation as a possible self-defense case, and the shooter is cooperating with investigators.
That review process has played out publicly before in Jefferson County. In February 2025, a jury acquitted a driver of murder charges after defense attorneys argued he acted in self-defense during a fatal 2023 confrontation in Edgewater, even though prosecutors had argued video evidence contradicted that defense, according to the Denver Gazette. The same First Judicial District office also formally charged a Lakewood man with first-degree murder in a domestic death investigation in August, showing the office remains active on homicide cases heading into this latest shooting.
A Rare Violent Death in a City With a Historic Safety Streak
Whatever the outcome, the shooting lands against the backdrop of a notable public-safety milestone for Lakewood. The city recorded zero homicides in 2025, according to KOMO News. Lakewood's violent-crime rate is discussed alongside those of neighboring Denver and Aurora.
Lakewood is a Colorado city, and its police department serves the community. The Wright Street shooting remains under investigation. No further details on the circumstances that led to Tuesday's shooting have been released as the investigation continues.
