Irish
05-07-10, 10:44
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_15027169?source=most_viewed
EL PASO -- A homeowner shot and killed a burglar who broke into his house early Wednesday morning, police said.
About 4:40, an unidentified man in his early 20s broke into a house in the 8000 block of Tonto Place, police said.
Homeowners Paul Daw and Monica Daw were asleep during the initial break-in and awoke to find the man in the master bedroom.
They fought with him, police said.
During the struggle, Paul Daw shot the man multiple times with a handgun. He was taken to Beaumont Army Medical Center, where he later died, said police spokesman Darrel Petry.
Investigators were working Wednesday afternoon to identify the man through his fingerprints, said Dr. Paul Shrode, the county medical examiner.
Police spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said the couple's children were home during the break-in.
"I know there was a man and a woman and kids, but I don't know how many kids," Baranyay said.
David Hennis said the shooting was the first in the upscale Mountain Park neighborhood since he and his family moved there in the 1960s.
"I'm sure it's handy for people who want to break into houses that there's no streetlights," said Hennis, 80.
The last time an El Paso homeowner shot and killed an intruder was in 2000, when Dr. Joseph Segapeli, a pediatrician, shot a man who forced his way into his Lower Valley home.
The man, Steven Medrano, held three children, their nanny and another man in the kitchen before the shooting.
Segapeli was not prosecuted.
In Texas, homeowners may use deadly force to protect themselves, their families and their property under certain conditions.
After the Castle Doctrine became law in 2007, homeowners could legally use a gun to defend themselves from home invaders without retreating before shooting, said National Rifle Association spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.
Before the passing of the Castle Doctrine law, a person had to retreat to another room in his or her house before shooting an intruder, she said.
A permit is not required to own a gun, but a permit is required to conceal and carry a gun.
EL PASO -- A homeowner shot and killed a burglar who broke into his house early Wednesday morning, police said.
About 4:40, an unidentified man in his early 20s broke into a house in the 8000 block of Tonto Place, police said.
Homeowners Paul Daw and Monica Daw were asleep during the initial break-in and awoke to find the man in the master bedroom.
They fought with him, police said.
During the struggle, Paul Daw shot the man multiple times with a handgun. He was taken to Beaumont Army Medical Center, where he later died, said police spokesman Darrel Petry.
Investigators were working Wednesday afternoon to identify the man through his fingerprints, said Dr. Paul Shrode, the county medical examiner.
Police spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said the couple's children were home during the break-in.
"I know there was a man and a woman and kids, but I don't know how many kids," Baranyay said.
David Hennis said the shooting was the first in the upscale Mountain Park neighborhood since he and his family moved there in the 1960s.
"I'm sure it's handy for people who want to break into houses that there's no streetlights," said Hennis, 80.
The last time an El Paso homeowner shot and killed an intruder was in 2000, when Dr. Joseph Segapeli, a pediatrician, shot a man who forced his way into his Lower Valley home.
The man, Steven Medrano, held three children, their nanny and another man in the kitchen before the shooting.
Segapeli was not prosecuted.
In Texas, homeowners may use deadly force to protect themselves, their families and their property under certain conditions.
After the Castle Doctrine became law in 2007, homeowners could legally use a gun to defend themselves from home invaders without retreating before shooting, said National Rifle Association spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.
Before the passing of the Castle Doctrine law, a person had to retreat to another room in his or her house before shooting an intruder, she said.
A permit is not required to own a gun, but a permit is required to conceal and carry a gun.