A homeowner in the city of Commerce City, Colorado, was recently attacked by an intruder and seriously injured in the altercation. Fortunately, however, he was able to fight off the attacker before being killed, killing the attacker instead. The terrifying home invasion incident occurred at about 2:45 in the morning on Sunday, June 16.
The Commerce City Police Department took to its page on Facebook to announce the news of the home invasion and deadly self-defense incident. It said, announcing that the break-in suspect had been killed and where it occurred, “Suspect Shot and Killed During Home Break-In: Overnight officers were called to a house in the 5300 block of E 64th Avenue.”
Continuing, the police department described what the homeowner said happened and what they found when they arrived on the scene, saying, “An adult male resident told us he was injured in an attack inside his home and that he shot an unknown intruder. Officers discovered the body of the suspected intruder– also an adult male– inside the residence.”
Concluding, the department noted that, fortunately, the homeowner will survive the injuries he suffered at the hands of the home invader and reminded the public that the investigation is ongoing, saying, “The homeowner will fortunately survive his injuries. Please be aware this is an active investigation, and we are unable to release any additional details at this time (but will as soon as we can be certain it will not compromise our case). The deceased will be identified by the Adams County Coroner.”
Speaking to a local Fox affiliate about the incident, Detective Sgt. Derek Aragon commented on the injuries the homeowner suffered, saying, “He was pretty beaten up — face, whole body. He had obvious injuries.” Continuing, he indicated that the shooting was likely justified under Colorado’s “Make My Day” law, which generally allows the use of deadly force against home invaders. He said, “As of right now, in the early stages, it is looking that way, but we are still trying to piece that together.”
Similarly, speaking to the same Fox affiliate, legal analyst Christopher Decker explained that the shooting was likely justified given the circumstances, saying, “If it is an open and shut case of an armed homeowner shooting an intruder, they are probably not going to file charges against the homeowner, and beware to all burglars.”
Commenting on the Commerce City Police Department post about the incident, one user shared her own break-in experience. She said, “Good job on the homeowners part. I can say the one regret I have after going through a home invasion/robbery is that i didn’t shoot the intruders. And the only reason I didn’t was cuz at the time i had an 11-day-old baby, 2 year old and 3 year old and I was more focused on keeping us hidden than being found but they were one door knob turn away from being shot.”
She continued, “Oh and these idiots admitted in the court proceedings they saw the gun holster on the bed where i threw it (while rushing to gather my kids and hide them) and they looked through my bedding to try and find the gun to the empty gun holster. What idiot sees an EMPTY gun holster while they’re robbing a house and thinks, “hmmm there must be gun nearby” instead of realizing, oh shit empty gun holster equals there’s a gun nearby that someone is likely holding!”
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