When two intruders broke into a home in the town of Surprise, Arizona, the homeowner was armed and able to fight off both of the teenaged intruders, one of whom was reported by the local police department to be 19 years old and the other of whom was described only as a “teenage juvenile.” One of the intruders was wounded by the homeowner’s gunfire in the altercation.
The Surprise, Arizona Police Department posted about the incident on Facebook, describing what happened during the break-in and what evidence there was that the two teens had been attempting a burglary. The police department also described what charges the two teens are facing, though it did not further describe the “teenage juvenile.”
Beginning the post by describing the 911 calls the officers received about the incident, police said, “On April 22, 2024, just after 4 a.m., officers responded to a home in the area of 140th Avenue and Waddell Road after a homeowner called to report a possible break-in. A short time later, the same homeowner reported that they had shot at the intruders. That was soon followed by another 9-1-1 call reporting a person was found with a gunshot wound about a block away from the home.”
The post then went on to describe what happened when officers arrived and note that one of the teens had been wounded by the homeowner’s gunfire, writing, “Officers checked on the homeowner to ensure they were safe and located the injured person involved in the break-in, who was later identified as 19-year-old Kason Nelson. He was transported to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. Officers also located a second suspect who is a teenage juvenile.”
Describing the evidence that pointed towards the incident being a burglary attempt, the post noted, “During the investigation, detectives learned that the homeowner involved is currently renting to a tenant who knows the suspects. The suspects told investigators, under Miranda Warnings, that they came to visit the tenant. However, Surprise Police detectives, with assistance from the K-9 unit, located a firearm and other items indicating the suspects were intending to commit a burglary.”
Concluding, the post described the charges they face, providing, “Nelson is a prohibited possessor and was booked on one count each: Burglary 1st Degree, a class 2 felony; Misconduct Involving Weapons, a class 4 felony; and Theft, a class 6 felony. The juvenile was booked into the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Center on one count of Burglary 2nd Degree, a class 3 felony.”
AZ Family, reporting on the terrifying incident, noted that one of the homeowner’s neighbors, a woman named Nancy McCraven, described the incident as nearly unthinkable in their otherwise pleasant and quiet neighborhood. McCraven said, “It’s almost unthinkable, especially in the early morning hours. You never think it’s going to happen, especially in a nice quiet neighborhood like this and it’s always quiet.”
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That outlet quoted another neighbor, Shaylee Coker, as saying, “I woke up around 3:30 and then I was getting ready in my room and I didn’t think it was a big deal until I heard them get closer to our house.” Coker added, “It happened two doors down, and you never know who it could be next and so I think everybody is going to start to raise their security awareness.”