Holy cow, your uncle is lucky to he's still alive.

Forcing your way into a home makes you fair game here in Texas, Oklahoma, and some other states. I thinkmost states refer to it as the castle doctrine.My criminal law book referred to Oklahoma's deadly force/self defense doctrine as the "make my day" doctrine. Of course, I think the authors were liberals. If the ex- had custody of the children at the time, and he was attempting to remove them, that pretty much amounts to kidnapping, another offense that might justify the use of deadly force. It's a wonder your uncle didn't spend time in jail. And it is a real wonder he got custody. He must have had a really good lawyer and his ex must have hired a really, reallybad one.