A burglary suspect was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after intruding into a garage in Aurora, Colorado, and being shot by the homeowner on Monday.
According to 9 News, the intruder was shot by a homeowner after he was caught breaking into the homeowner’s detached garage at roughly 4:49 a.m. on Monday in the 1200 block of Moline Street in Aurora, Colorado. Aurora Police Department officials noted that the burglary suspect was transported to the hospital following the shooting and remained in the hospital with life-threatening injuries as of Monday night.
Following an interview with the unidentified homeowner on Monday morning, the Aurora Police Department released the homeowner and indicated that law enforcement officials do not expect any charges to be filed against the homeowner, according to News 9.
However, in a statement obtained by Fox 31, the Aurora Police Department said, “Detectives continue to investigate and will present their findings to the district attorney’s office upon completion. This is standard practice.”
READ MORE: Burglar arrested after being captured by homeowner
According to News 9, the homeowner reported another break-in on Saturday and claimed that $400 worth of goods were stolen in the intrusion. The homeowner told police officials that following Saturday’s incident, he purchased and installed security cameras in his garage, which notified him regarding Monday’s break-in attempt.
News 9 reported that the homeowner told police officials that after noticing the intrusion on the security cameras, he confronted the burglary suspect in the garage, leading to an altercation with the intruder. The homeowner told police officials that he shot the intruder during the altercation.
Fox 31 reported that while Colorado residents are legally permitted to use deadly force against intruders inside their homes under the Colorado Make My Day law, Christopher Decker, a criminal defense attorney, told the outlet that the Colorado Make My Day law does not apply to Monday’s shooting since the homeowner did not shoot the burglary suspect inside the home.
“You can’t just shoot,” Decker told Fox 31. “You have to act reasonably, and in order to use deadly force, you have to be in fear of serious, imminent bodily injury.” However, the criminal defense attorney noted that self-defense laws are applicable to the case.
