DANBY, Vt. — The stepmother of a Vermont man who shot a Hudson Falls man to death Sunday said her stepson was defending his family.

Vermont State Police said Aaron Allen, 28, of Hudson Falls, died after being shot by Michael White, 24. Police said Allen went to a house on John Corey Road Sunday evening with a knife and was stabbing his ex-girlfriend, Heather Thompson, when he was shot.

Thompson, 22, had a restraining order issued in Washington County against Allen because of an April arrest for unlawful restraint, police said.

“He came to kill her, and who knows, they all could have been dead if Mikey hadn’t stopped him,” Debbie White said Monday afternoon. She was out of state at the time of the incident but returned after the attack.

State Police said Michael White, 24, saw the attack and fired a rifle twice, hitting Allen, who was taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center. He died there early Monday morning, police said.

Thompson, who is pregnant, was in Rutland Regional Medical Center Monday following surgery for multiple stab wounds, according to Debbie White.

“They said she was OK and will recover,” she said.

Two children were in the home at the time of the attack, Debbie White said. One was the 18-month-old daughter of Allen and Thompson, and the other was White’s 6-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Police are investigating and have not said whether there will be charges against White. Debbie White said her stepson was not taken into custody and was at the hospital with Thompson Monday afternoon.

“He is so upset,” she said. “He’s taking this so hard.”

Details of the April unlawful restraint case, which prompted the restraining order against Allen, were not available Monday.

Allen’s body was taken Monday to the Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

State Police said once the investigation is complete, details will be sent to the Rutland County Office of the State’s Attorney for review.

Troopers from the Rutland State Police Barracks and the Pawlet constable responded to Sunday’s incident. Wallingford Rescue, Manchester Rescue and Regional Rescue also responded and took Allen and Thompson to the hospital.

Stephanie Dassaro, a spokeswoman for the Vermont State Police, said Monday afternoon she did not anticipate more information being available before Tuesday.

“There are still a lot of moving parts, and the autopsy is ongoing,” Dassaro said Monday afternoon.

Debbie White said her stepson and Thompson had been living together in a mobile home, which is near her house. She said White’s father rented the home, and they were renovating it.

Debbie White said Thompson believed Allen was no longer in the area and had moved to Florida. She said he had come to the home in the past, most recently during the winter.

“He came up and threatened to shoot everybody,” Debbie White said. “She was scared.”

Debbie White said she felt badly for everyone involved.

“It’s really too bad for his family. It’s bad all the way around,” she said. “It’s bad for them, and it’s bad for us. But Mikey was just defending his family. He had to do something. Was he supposed to just sit there and watch him stab her?”

White said her stepson told her Allen was on top of Thompson, still stabbing her, when he fired the shots.