cedarchopper
7th January 2011, 09:27 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Woman-64-guns-down-intruder-941741.php
A woman shot and killed an intruder and police caught a suspected accomplice in a Northwest Side home invasion Thursday afternoon.
The gunfire shattered the afternoon calm in the neighborhood of large, high-end houses on wide, tree-lined streets.
The woman was upstairs with her husband in their home in the 7100 block of Oakridge Drive when they heard a loud bang, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said.
They checked downstairs and found a man in his late teens or early 20s inside. He had broken a sliding glass door with a hammer, McManus said.
“What are you doing in my house?” the husband asked, while his wife grabbed a gun and fired one shot, killing the intruder.
Property records and neighbors identified the homeowners as Kathleen and John Carter, ages 64 and 82, respectively. Kathleen Carter is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a descendant of Collin McKinney, who was the last signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, according to a family friend.
Police officers working undercover were already in the area Thursday afternoon because of a rash of recent burglaries. Advised of the incident, they arrested a man blocks away from the shooting scene who they believe was the dead man's accomplice, McManus said. A vehicle believed to have been used by the suspects also was found in the area, police said.
Arriving police found the other suspect dead and the homeowners shaken but uninjured, McManus said.
Residents of the quiet neighborhood said they were shocked by the incident.
“They are very nice, quiet people,” Lisa Alden said of the Carters, her next-door neighbors. “We rarely see them. They keep to themselves, but they have three dogs that are always outside” in the fenced yard, she said.
Alden said the area has been increasingly targeted by burglars since her own home was broken into about 18 months ago.
“But still, this area is so quiet and the people so friendly, always waving when they walk the dogs, that it is truly shocking to have this happen in our neighborhood,” she said. “I feel horrible for (Carter) because it is terrible to have to shoot someone. ... She did the right thing, but I feel very badly for what she must be going through.”
McManus said the shooting appeared to be justified, and no charges were filed.
He said he doesn't know what burglars typically might be thinking when they break into a home, “but they should be thinking, ‘This could be the last home I break into.'”
It was the second homicide of the new year. Six slayings last year by civilians were ruled justified, most of them in response to home intruders.
“People who live in San Antonio are well aware of the law and have acted accordingly when people are in their homes,” McManus said.
Staff Writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Woman-64-gunsdown-intruder-941741.php#ixzz1AN5h02y2
A woman shot and killed an intruder and police caught a suspected accomplice in a Northwest Side home invasion Thursday afternoon.
The gunfire shattered the afternoon calm in the neighborhood of large, high-end houses on wide, tree-lined streets.
The woman was upstairs with her husband in their home in the 7100 block of Oakridge Drive when they heard a loud bang, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said.
They checked downstairs and found a man in his late teens or early 20s inside. He had broken a sliding glass door with a hammer, McManus said.
“What are you doing in my house?” the husband asked, while his wife grabbed a gun and fired one shot, killing the intruder.
Property records and neighbors identified the homeowners as Kathleen and John Carter, ages 64 and 82, respectively. Kathleen Carter is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a descendant of Collin McKinney, who was the last signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, according to a family friend.
Police officers working undercover were already in the area Thursday afternoon because of a rash of recent burglaries. Advised of the incident, they arrested a man blocks away from the shooting scene who they believe was the dead man's accomplice, McManus said. A vehicle believed to have been used by the suspects also was found in the area, police said.
Arriving police found the other suspect dead and the homeowners shaken but uninjured, McManus said.
Residents of the quiet neighborhood said they were shocked by the incident.
“They are very nice, quiet people,” Lisa Alden said of the Carters, her next-door neighbors. “We rarely see them. They keep to themselves, but they have three dogs that are always outside” in the fenced yard, she said.
Alden said the area has been increasingly targeted by burglars since her own home was broken into about 18 months ago.
“But still, this area is so quiet and the people so friendly, always waving when they walk the dogs, that it is truly shocking to have this happen in our neighborhood,” she said. “I feel horrible for (Carter) because it is terrible to have to shoot someone. ... She did the right thing, but I feel very badly for what she must be going through.”
McManus said the shooting appeared to be justified, and no charges were filed.
He said he doesn't know what burglars typically might be thinking when they break into a home, “but they should be thinking, ‘This could be the last home I break into.'”
It was the second homicide of the new year. Six slayings last year by civilians were ruled justified, most of them in response to home intruders.
“People who live in San Antonio are well aware of the law and have acted accordingly when people are in their homes,” McManus said.
Staff Writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Woman-64-gunsdown-intruder-941741.php#ixzz1AN5h02y2