Suspected burglar fatally shot by homeowner in Everett
EVERETT, Wash. -- A suspected burglar was shot dead by a homeowner during an apparent break-in in Everett Thursday morning.
The homeowner called 911 just before 5 a.m. to report shooting someone inside his home along 126th Street Southeast, according to Aaron Snell with Everett Police. Officers arrived to find a critically wounded man in his 30s. Officers and medics attempted to revive the man, but he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the burglar broke into the home and went into a room containing guns. The homeowner, a man in his 70s, awoke to sounds in his home, confronted the intruder and shot him, Snell said.
"That’s probably what I’d do, too," said Brad Miller, who lives nearby. "‘Cause I’m a firearms owner. If it happens, I’m ready to do the same thing."
"If you have a gun normally and someone breaks into your house, you’re probably going to use the gun. Because if you don’t, they’re going to get you," said Victoria Moors, who works nearby.
"I feel sorry for the owner to have to live with that, though. You know? ‘Cause you don’t want to ever be the one to have to pull the trigger," added Louetta Wood, who works nearby.
Detectives are still trying to piece together exactly how the confrontation happened. When officers arrived on scene, they tried to revive the suspected burglar, but he did not survive, police said.
Under the law, if someone breaks into your home, you're allowed to use force that is reasonably necessary, police told KOMO News. But you still have to show there was an imminent threat against you, they added.
"Obviously, if there was a potential crime, then yeah - the homeowner could face charges. I just don't know," Snell said. "We're gonna go where the evidence leads us."
