Shirtless, screaming burglary suspect shot by Shoreline homeowner

A homeowner shot a shirtless man who was screaming profanities while breaking into the homeowner's residence in Shoreline.

The shooting occurred in the 100 block of NE 174th Street about 4 a.m. Thursday.

The King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Sgt. Jason Houck, said the homeowner’s wife and two daughters were in the house at the time of the shooting. One of the girls called 911 and told dispatchers that she was at home with her 11-year-old sister and her parents and that they had locked themselves in a back bedroom.

She also told dispatchers that her father had armed himself with a gun.

The girl said that before the family went to hide in the bedroom, they had seen and heard a man kicking at their doors while trying to break in. She said the man was not wearing a shirt and was yelling profanities.

After about three minutes on the line with emergency dispatchers, she reported hearing the sound of glass breaking at the front of the house.

At that point, her father, armed with a 9mm handgun, left the bedroom where his wife and daughters were hiding and went to the front of the house where the sound of breaking glass was heard, deputies said.

As the homeowner entered the front living room area, he saw a man standing just outside the front window and door he had just broken out with lawn furniture.

As the man began coming toward the homeowner, the homeowner fired two rounds at him, hitting him once in the upper thigh, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arriving at the home heard the two shots and found the wounded suspect in the front yard.

Deputies were able to apply a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before Shoreline fire medics arrived and transported the man to Harborview.

He underwent surgery and is expected to survive.

He is being booked on suspicion of burglary.

The suspect, a 41-year-old man, lives in the area.

Neighbors said the man lives right next door in a basement unit.

It is not known if the suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A neighbor on the other side of the suspect said the man had tried to knock down his door before going to the other house.

“There was a knock on the door, some guy screaming for Frank. Then he tried to kick the door in, and we just told him to get out of the yard,” said Robert Bruce.

But Bruce said the man had trouble kicking the door in because they had a 2-foot by 4-foot piece of plywood under the door handle inside.

Bruce said they yelled at the man to get out of the yard, and he complied.

The 44-year-old homeowner who later shot the suspect will not be charged with any crimes.

Houck told KIRO 7 that homeowners may not automatically have the right to shoot a stranger coming into one’s house in every case. But the homeowner does have the right to protect against harm.

Cox Media Group