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Homeowner shoots, kills intruder in strange home invasion

NEAR BUCKLEY, Wash. — Police said a homeowner shot and killed a man who crashed through a gate and broke into his house near Buckley.

The shooting happened in rural Pierce County at the corner of 258th Avenue East and 164th Street East about 11 p.m. Monday.

Police said the intruder drove up the driveway at a high rate of speed, broke through a steel gate, mangling it, and then crashed into a car.

The driver then went to the house, pounded on the door, broke some glass and forced his way in.

There was a scuffle, and the 67-year-old homeowner was punched multiple times.  At some point, he was able to reach for his gun and shot the man three or four times, killing him, deputies said.

Deputies said the intruder never said anything to the homeowner as he was breaking in and fighting with him, and that the intruder, a 21-year-old man, had a strong odor of marijuana.

Police say the homeowner's wife locked herself in a bedroom and called 911 during the fight.

Deputies got search warrants for both the house and the dead man's car.

Investigators said the intruder had no known connection to the people in the house. It is not clear why the man burst into the home.

The homeowner was injured in the struggle and taken to the hospital.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner will determine if the suspect had any drugs in his system.

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