GOOD: Man Defends His Home And Family - Sacramento, CA

[CT-Mike]

Police: Accused Burglar Shot, Killed - Local News Archives Story - KCRA Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A homeowner who feared for the safety of himself and his family used a shotgun to kill an accused burglar early Tuesday in Del Paso Heights, Sacramento police said.

Police were called at 12:18 a.m. regarding a shooting in 800 block of Carmelita Avenue, Sgt. Matt Young said.

Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Young said an investigation found that the dead man and an unknown number of accomplices allegedly tried to break into the home. A man, his wife and two children were inside the house. One of the burglars appeared to be carrying a rifle, police said.

Police said the husband grabbed his shotgun and fired one shot as one of the intruders tried to force his way into the home.

Young said the accused burglar was fatally injured by the blast and the accomplice or accomplices fled.

The names of the slain man and the man who fired the shotgun were not immediately released.

None of the occupants of the home were injured. No arrests have been made, Young said.

Anyone with information may call Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP or 800-AA-Crime. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

I love a happy ending.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[PatrioticRick]

One of the burglars appeared to be carrying a rifle

So they didn't find the weapon.

[jofrdo]

"A homeowner ... used a shotgun to kill an accused burglar early Tuesday in Del Paso Heights..."

So the deceased has been accused? He's going to be wheeled into a courtroom to answer those charges? I hope he finds a good lawyer; he'll need one.

"Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene."

If he was dead, then he wasn't suffering from the wound, was he?

[jfl]

"A homeowner ... used a shotgun to kill an accused burglar early Tuesday in Del Paso Heights..."

So the deceased has been accused? He's going to be wheeled into a courtroom to answer those charges? I hope he finds a good lawyer; he'll need one.

"Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene."

If he was dead, then he wasn't suffering from the wound, was he?

And I thought I was the only one to be picky at the wording; typical reporter B-S.
OTOH, maybe he was suffering in hell

[CT-Mike]

Additional info here:

Top Stories - Invaders ram door; shotgun fells one - sacbee.com

He told police there were only moments to decide.

Several people – at least one with a gun – were breaking through the front door of his Del Paso Heights home. His pregnant wife and two children, ages 2 and 3, slept in a back bedroom.

As the would-be invaders forced the door open, the man told police, he believed he had to act. He stuck the barrel of his shotgun into the expanding gap and pulled the trigger.

A 19-year-old man took a shot to the torso, stumbled several yards and fell dead. His accomplices – police don't know how many – fled.

The attempted break-in took place about 12:20 a.m. Tuesday at a home on the 800 block of Carmelita Avenue, just off Rio Linda Boulevard, according to the Sacramento Police Department.

Sgt. Matt Young, the department spokesman, said the home's occupant likely won't face charges for the early morning shooting because his actions appear to meet the standard for justifiable self-defense.

"The final disposition will lie with the district attorney, but at this time and stage of the investigation, we don't intend to arrest him," Young said.

The Bee is not naming the resident because the dead man's accomplices are still at large.

Sacramento County coroner's officials identified the slain 19-year-old as Jamal D. Ellison. Police said they have only vague descriptions of the dead man's accomplices.

The shooting took place in a small tract of modular homes, each separated by a patch of lawn, on a blighted Del Paso Heights cul-de-sac.

After the shooting, said Felicia Guajardo, another resident of the complex, her neighbor paced frantically along the walkway that separates two rows of homes, shotgun in hand, screaming for neighbors to call 911.

Eventually, he made his way to the home of another neighbor, Robert Jerome. Jerome said his friend did not have a phone and asked Jerome's family to call police.

"He was crying and hysterical," Jerome said. "I've never seen a grown man jumping up and down in tears like that."

Jerome said he ushered the man's family into his own home before going out in the street to check the body.

"He was wearing a full beanie and gloves," Jerome said. "Those guys came to kill."

Looking on Tuesday as a crime-scene cleanup crew scrubbed blood off the walkway, Jerome said residents of the complex were lucky their neighbor acted so decisively.

"Anyone that tries to come into someone's home like that, you deserve the consequences," he said.

Legal experts contacted by The Bee said the resident is unlikely to face legal consequences if the shooting unfolded as police describe. Like most states, California authorizes the use of deadly force in situations where people feel that they or their family members are in grave danger.

The concept that one's "home is a castle" is a legal principle that dates back to English common law, said Floyd Feeney, a professor of criminal law at the University of California, Davis, School of Law.

"If someone is trying to come in your front door with a gun, you are generally going to wind up being authorized to respond with deadly force," Feeney said.

Police ask that anyone with information about the incident contact Crime Alert at (916)443-HELP or (800) AA-Crime. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.