This is an unfortunate result that could have been easily avoided if the negligent homeowner had loaded buck instead of bird.
This is a good topic, the bird shot buckshot thing. I am scared to use buckshot because I have kids in the house, I live in a suburban neighborhood. When I was in college in the early 90’s I had a 9 mm hollow point round whip inches away from my head, leaving me with a near death situation. It turned out that a neighbor, a kid like me, whose Dad I knew as the S-3 Major at my Drill unit. But he was showing his mom his new purchase, a 9 mm Barretta. He accidentally discharged it. The round went through 2 of his interior walls, out his external wall, in my external wall, whipped past my head, went through an internal wall, traveled the length of my bed (would have been hit if in bed also), and lodged in the rear exterior wall only after hitting a rock face. So that’s why I don’t use a 9mm for home defense, but instead use a shotgun with bird shot. Buck shot goes through drywall like it’s not even there. I know, it’s a tough one but I don’t want to kill anybody but the perp.