A Detroit gun owner sent a deadly message to future criminals by fatally shooting one of two intruders in his home, the fifth such incident since February.
On Thursday, the homeowner shot at two men allegedly
breaking into his home on the city's west side around 12:30 p.m., authorities told the Detroit News. The homeowner, who was not identified in media reports, heard glass break in the back of his house and found an intruder attempting to enter through a window.
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Police told the Detroit News the homeowner fired two shots, hitting one intruder in the chest and killing him. The intruder is believed to have been 17 years old. The second suspect, believed to be in his 20s, fled the scene.
"It's a message to the criminals — stop coming in to people's homes unannounced and uninvited. Crime no longer pays in the city of Detroit,"
Detroit Police Department Deputy Chief Rodney Johnson told WJBK-TV.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig made national headlines in January when he said he believes more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens would deter the city's high crime rate.
"I say that because of my experience now in my fourth city, seeing good Americans, good Detroiters that have CCWs and what effect that has had on deterring violent crime," Craig said. "Given what I saw coming into the door here in Detroit, the fact that the city has been (touted) as one of the most violent cities in America ... we still have incident after incident where individuals like elderly people get dragged out of their cars at gunpoint."
Detroit homeowners have become more aggressive toward criminals. A woman shot an intruder in the chest killing him after he allegedly tried to break into the rear window of her house on Feb. 28. On Feb. 22, two suspected intruders were also killed in separate incidents.
On Feb. 17, police caught three teenagers after a gun owner opened fire on them after they kicked in her door, the Detroit News reported.
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