Homeowner shoots intruder

Originally ran here as:
"Homeowner shoots intruder"
by Tyrone Walker, The Post and Courier staff
The Post and Courier
October 07, 2001

SUMMERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - A homeowner shot and wounded a man who authorities said forced his way into a Newington Road home Saturday and assaulted an elderly couple.

The man was shot in chest about 7 p.m., Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash said.

The intruder, who was not identified, was listed in critical condition at Trident Regional Medical Center, Nash said.

Nash did not identify the homeowner but described the man and his wife as "an elderly couple."

No criminal charges are expected to be filed against the homeowner because he was acting in self-defense when he shot the intruder, Nash said.

"It looks like the homeowner was within his rights," Nash said.

The sheriff said detectives have not completed their investigation, but he provided the following account of the events leading up to the shooting:

A husband and wife were in their home when they heard someone trying to come in through their back door. They then spotted a stranger making his way from the backyard to the front.

When the homeowners opened the front door, a stranger forced his way into the house, briefly pushing and grabbing the couple.

As the intruder bolted to the back of the house, the male homeowner ran into a back bedroom and grabbed his handgun.

With gun in hand, the homeowner confronted the intruder.

Nash said the intruder was shot at least once when he tried to assault the homeowner. He said detectives have not determined how many times the intruder was shot and how many shots were fired.

Nash said deputies found the wounded man lying in a bathroom.

The homeowners, Nash said, were emotionally shaken by the incident, but they were not seriously harmed physically.

"Both of them are concerned about welfare of the suspect. They said they hope he lives," Nash said.