A home intruder was shot and killed in rural California following a continual exchange of mutual gunfire with the homeowner, authorities said.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that 41-year-old Rodney Lee Martin from Stanislaus County died as a result of a gunshot wound on July 2 after he allegedly tried to rob a residence in the city of Modesto.
Multiple shots were exchanged between Martin and the unidentified homeowner—who eventually managed to disarm the intruder after he was alerted about the break-in on his property.
“The homeowner was alerted to a break-in by an alarm company monitoring the residence,” police said. “Shortly after the homeowner entered the house, a male intruder was found inside.”
Martin allegedly fired multiple rounds at the homeowner, who in exchange returned fire and was able to hit him at least once. The homeowner immediately notified police after the confrontation and upon exiting the property.
Deputies responded to the 911 call at about 12:22 p.m. and after arrival, found the alleged intruder deceased from a fatal gunshot wound, police said.
The firearm that was used by Martin during the burglary was previously reported as stolen, authorities noted. The sheriff’s office also said that the homeowner is fully cooperating with the investigation and no arrests have been made yet.
The attempted home invasion that turned deadly wasn’t the only one reported in Stanislaus County last week.
On June 29, an elderly homeowner warned a female intruder who had forced her way into the home by smashing a sliding glass door with a fire extinguisher that she should immediately leave the property.
“The elderly homeowners began calling for help to nearby neighbors, armed themselves with a firearm to defend their property, and told the woman to keep away,” the sheriff’s office said in a separate statement.
“Yet the intruder kept trying to force entry into the house and threatened to kill them,” they said. “In an act of apparent self-defense, the female homeowner fired a single round striking the intruder in the torso.”
The wounded intruder then forced her way into the parked car of the elderly homeowner and was later found dead by police in the vehicle’s passenger compartment. Nobody else was injured during the attempted home invasion.
Authorities said although they are still investigating the shooting, current indication points show that this was an act of self-defense.