Posted on 12/19/2006 8:26:08 AM PST by Froggie
Resident says he shot man during break-in By BILL MILLER Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH -- A man was in surgery Tuesday after he was blasted with a shotgun during what the shooter described as a break-in at an east-side residence, police said.
The shooting occurred at 5:55 a.m. in the 4600 block of East Berry Street, said Lt. Dean Sullivan, a Fort Worth police spokesman.
The alleged burglar was reportedly in serious condition at John Peter Smith Hospital, Sullivan said.
A resident told police that he was in the process of moving out of the home, Sullivan said.
He said he was concerned about his property because he had heard of recent burglaries in the neighborhood and went to the house with a friend to check on things, Sullivan said.
The man told police he heard a noise coming from inside a detached garage, Sullivan said. He said he grabbed a shotgun, went inside and found a burglar, Sullivan said.
"It appears the property owner shot the suspect who, he said, was in the process of stealing from him," Sullivan said. "We don't know yet if there was any kind of altercation."
Police will continue investigating the case, Sullivan said.
"It's too soon to tell if criminal charges will be filed against the property owner," he added. "We'll gather facts and evidence and present it to a reviewing district attorney.
"Of course, there is a potential, depending on the separate investigation of the apparent burglary, that the suspect could be charged with burglary of a building, which is a state jail felony."
Sullivan said his information is that the man was in serious condition.
IF this dude recovers, I'll bet he thinks twice about doing that again...
As for John Peter Smith Hospital, his chances for survival have dropped precipitously.
Actually, if you have this kind of acute tramua JPS is one of the best places in the area to be taken... Parkland the other. Now, for routine health care problems I'd stay away from JPS also, but they have plenty of practice handling these emergency trauma cases. I used to work the ER at St. Joseph's - across the street from JPS and know of what I type!
Nice to see Bill Miller eliminate bias from his reporting. Why didn't he just write "evil man with gun shoots peaceful, unarmed, invitationless guest in affluent home"?
I still live in FW and E. Berry is still not exactly the garden spot of FW.
Why isn't the burglar dead?
The "resident" should have been using a short barreled shotgun with #4 or so, and needs more time at the range.
But still, good on him for defending his home.
Victor Gilchrist's police mug shot, with his left eye swollen shut...was facing several criminal charges after he was overpowered and beaten up during the robbery.
hehe
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