“Why in the world would he open the door if he was in fear of his life?”
Perhaps because the banging stopped? I would certainly be tempted to open the door to see if whoever was out there was gone before I called the police.
And if she then sort of jumped out of the darkness at him....even innocently, just happy that someone had finally opened the door....well, that could easily startle someone into pulling a trigger....
But it’s all just speculation until we hear his side of the story. Several people on this thread have stated “never talk to the police.” So I’m not gonna condemn the guy because he’s taking his time getting his story out.
Same standards should apply to him as to police. If he had cause to fear for his safety then its a good shoot.