Key Takeaways
- A homeowner in Rochester shot and killed an intruder in his house around 4:30 a.m. on August 3.
- The intruder entered through the rear of the house and was found dead in the kitchen shortly after shots were fired.
- Police reported no prior connection between the homeowner and the intruder, who was on parole for a previous burglary.
- The homeowner had experienced multiple burglaries recently and legally owned the handgun used in the shooting.
- Authorities stated the shooting appears justified, and no charges have been filed yet.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
ROCHESTER, NY — A homeowner on Avery Street was asleep around 4:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3, when someone came in through the rear of his house. He was armed with a legally owned, legally registered handgun. The intruder was found dead in the kitchen.
Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino said officers were sent to the home near Emerson Street after a neighbor called 911 reporting gunshots coming from a nearby house, as reported by Democrat and Chronicle. Within minutes, the homeowner called police himself to say he had shot a man who broke into his residence.
The homeowner told investigators he was awakened when someone entered through the back of the house, Umbrino said. He fired. Officers located the intruder in the kitchen, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said there is no indication the homeowner knew the man. The intruder was on parole for a previous burglary and was known to law enforcement, according to Umbrino. His name has not been released pending notification of his family.
Umbrino also said the homeowner had been burglarized several times in recent weeks.
The detail I keep coming back to is access. This homeowner went from asleep to a stranger inside his house in the space of a few seconds, and the handgun was close enough to reach in the dark. That is the entire question a home defense plan has to answer. A gun locked in a safe on the other side of the house is a gun you may never get your hands on. Wherever you keep yours, it needs to be reachable from where you sleep, secured the way your household requires, and in the same place every single night so you are not searching for it while someone is already inside.
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Police said the homeowner has a valid New York state pistol permit and that the handgun was legally owned and legally registered.
“At this point, it appears to be a justified shooting,” Umbrino told reporters at the scene. No charges have been filed. The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office will review the case once the investigation is complete, and prosecutors make the final determination. The homeowner has not been publicly identified.
