Houston man kills suspected home invader
Home invasions seem on the increase in Houston again. A lot of police retired last year and they're low on officers. Hiring away from other regional law enforcement agencies.
By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
A southeast Houston man struggled with one of five masked men in a "terrifying" home invasion late Friday, by taking away the intruder's gun and shooting him to death.
The resident of the home at 12311 Flushing Meadow may have wounded one of the other intruders, who forced their way into the house as an older couple was unloading laundry, said Houston Homicide Sgt. Mike Peters .
The other four masked men, who had claimed to be FBI agents, fled the scene in a grey Impala, Peters said.
Peters said the men approached the woman and her husband as they were unloading their laundry from their car, after they had returned from a wash-a-teria . The five men claimed to be with the FBI, Peters said.
The incident is the second home invasion within the last week in which a resident has killed a would-be robber.
A west Houston homeowner killed a robber, after wrestling his gun away from him last Saturday. That violent scene took place in front of the man's wife and five children.
Peters said there was one young child inside the southeast Houston home when the man heard "the commotion" from his bedroom at the back of the house. The man, who was in his mid-20s, came into the living room, where his elderly parents struggled with three of the men, two armed with handguns and one armed with an assault rifle.
"That's one of the terrifying things," Peters said. "When the gun battle takes place, there was one of his own children in the living room between him and the suspects armed with weapons."
Peters said the young man "did a pretty good job. He just felt that he had to take a stand."
But the man who shot the would-be robber was "shook up" after the incident, Peters said.
"It takes folks who are pretty resolute to do something like that," Peters said. "He is shook up, he is pretty upset. But he engaged in a pretty dynamic event that most people never have to engage in. You know, the people over in Iraq do it every day, but they are trained for it. This guy just reacted."
The dead man appeared to be in his mid-20s to early 30s, Peters said.
The other four suspects are still at-large, Peters said.
It is not uncommon in the Houston area for robbery suspects to impersonate law enforcement officers, Peters said. "Undoubtedly, we will find some other deals from other robberies, once we start working on it," Peters said.
The shooting is likely to be referred to a Harris County grand jury, Peters said.
He'll be no-billed. Last weeks home-invasion shooting article is below:
----------------------------------------
Homeowner shot as he shoots, kills an intruder
Three other suspects are still being sought
By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
A southwest Houston man shot and killed one of four men who broke into his house Saturday evening and suffered a serious wound himself, police said. Officers are looking for three other men who terrorized the man, his wife and five children.
Police are searching for the three other suspects, who fled the scene driving a silver or grey Honda Accord with a paper license plate.
The home invasion happened about 6 p.m. at 2219 Woodland Park, in the Village West subdivision, a neighborhood of single-family homes near Westheimer and Wilcrest.
The homeowner, who was shot several times, was in stable condition at Ben Taub hospital, said Houston homicide Sgt. J.T. Wyers.
The victim, who was not identified, struggled with one of the four men who forced their way into the brick home. The man took the gun away from the intruder and shot him, Wyers said.
"The motive, obviously, was robbery," Wyers said.
Wyers said one of the suspects fought with the homeowner and actually fired and hit the homeowner two times, possibly three times. The homeowner then "took the gun away from the suspect, and shot and killed the suspect," Wyers said.
At least one of the other three men was armed and fired back, Wyers said.
They fled the residence. Houston police officers were patrolling the neighborhood Saturday night looking for the suspects.
The victim owns a shipping business, and a van for the company was parked in the front driveway. The van was marked with the lettering "Envíos Catrachos."
Wyers said his partner was interviewing other family members who were inside the house when the armed men broke in. Although the homeowner does not speak Spanish, the suspects were Spanish-speaking, Wyers said.
"A gun is a universal language," Wyers said.
anne.kilday@chron.com |
