Phoenix homeowner shoots, kills alleged intruder, police say
PHOENIX - An alleged intruder was shot and killed by a Phoenix homeowner overnight, police confirmed.
Officials say a man forced his way inside a home near 17th Avenue and Coolidge just before 11:00 p.m. on Oct. 5. The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Ricky Gomez.
"The guy was pounding and broke the window, and got into the house," said Roger David, who lives next to the home where the deadly incident happened.
While David did not see the incident, he said he heard it.
"The banging, and then the gunshot," said David.
The person who reportedly shot the suspect lives at the home with their spouse and two young daughters. The residents declined to comment on the incident. The home intrusion suspect, according to police, was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
David said the neighborhood has a crime problem of sorts.
"The light rail is right up there," said David. "There's homeless that hang out all around there. They go in the alley. We've had incidents with them trying to make homes in the alley, or someone throwing rocks at our house. I've had to call police on stuff like that."
A similar incident happened in West Phoenix in September, and in that incident, the suspect was shot by a 13-year-old boy as he was breaking into the home. According to the teen's parents, he was protecting his parents and four sisters.
In this case, it is unknown if the two children were home during the intrusion.
"I hope they didn't see that," said David. "It's horrible."
There are no reports of physical injuries to anyone who was inside the home at the time of the incident. No arrests have been made, according to Phoenix Police officials.