Key Takeaways
- An elderly homeowner in Montrose shot an intruder who forced his way into his home on Wednesday afternoon.
- The homeowner warned the stranger to leave but he continued to advance, prompting the homeowner to retrieve a .38-caliber handgun.
- The intruder was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition after being shot.
- The incident occurred during daylight hours, raising concerns about the intruder’s intentions.
- Witnesses reported the homeowner gave multiple commands before using his weapon, facing a direct threat.
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HOUSTON, TX — An elderly homeowner shot a stranger who broke down his front door and forced his way into a Montrose home Wednesday afternoon, according to Houston police.
Houston Police Department officers were called to a home on Hawthorne Street around 1:05 p.m. for a possible home invasion, as reported by KENS 5. The caller reported that a man had broken down the front door and entered the residence, and initial information indicated a shot had been fired.
An HPD officer at the scene told KHOU 11 the man appeared to be a stranger to the homeowner. The homeowner, described as an elderly man, repeatedly told him to stop and to leave the home. He did not.
The homeowner retrieved a .38-caliber handgun. He shot the man. The man was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition, according to the officer.
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The officer’s word was “eventually.” The homeowner did not fire the moment the door gave way. He gave commands, more than once, and went for the revolver only after a stranger who had already broken into his house refused to obey them. An elderly man facing an intruder who has forced entry in broad daylight and will not stop advancing on verbal commands is facing a threat to his own body, and every warning he issued that went unheeded made that threat harder to read any other way.
The midday timing matters too. This was not a burglar expecting an empty house at 3 a.m. This was 1 in the afternoon, with the occupant home, and the man came through the door anyway.
