Michigan woman shot on porch was intoxicated: medical examiner

DETROIT (Reuters) - A woman who was shot dead on a homeowner's front porch in suburban Detroit when she sought help after a car crash earlier in November had a blood alcohol content nearly triple the legal driving limit, a medical examiner's report released Thursday said. The shooting of the unarmed Renisha McBride, 19, in the early morning of November 2 has brought questions from her family and demonstrations from civil rights leaders who suggested racial profiling might have played a role in the case. McBride was black, but police have not identified the homeowner or discussed his race. McBride had a blood alcohol content of 0.218 percent, or nearly triple the 0.08 percent legal limit for driving in Michigan and also had marijuana in her system, according to a toxicology report released by the Wayne County medical examiner's office. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to announce on Friday whether the homeowner will face charges for McBride's death. The medical examiner's office earlier in the week ruled her death a homicide by a shotgun blast in the face. McBride was shot dead in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, a suburb next to Detroit. The Wayne County prosecutor has been weighing evidence submitted by Dearborn Heights police and other sources. Supporters of McBride and her family demonstrated outside the suburb's police station demanding the homeowner be charged in her death. Some speakers likened her shooting to that of Trayvon Martin, a black teen in Florida who was trailed and shot to death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. A jury acquitted Zimmerman, outraging Martin's family and supporters who alleged racism. Police have said McBride knocked on the homeowner's door early in the morning after crashing a car nearby and the homeowner told police he thought McBride was breaking into his home and that his shotgun went off accidentally. (Reporting by Steve Neavling and Kevin Murphy; Writing by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)