80-year-old wife fatally shoots home intruder

MONROE, Wash. — An 80-year-old woman shot and killed a home intruder who stabbed her 75-year-old husband at a home near Sultan Thursday night.

Authorities responded after the woman called 911 to report she had shot an intruder in the 13700 block of Woods Lake Road before 9 p.m.

The stabbing victim told the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office that the incident occurred when the homeowner, the 75-year-old husband, was watching TV and spotted an unknown man on his back porch.

He said the man, identified by the Department of Corrections as 25-year-old Gold Bar resident Steven Sheppard, broke down a door, entered the home and hit him on the head and began stabbing him.

The homeowner's wife then shot the intruder. The couple's adult son was also home at the time on the shooting.

According to police, Sheppard died at the scene. He was found collapsed in the doorway of the front room.

The man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center and is in serious condition. The woman was not injured.

Woods Lake Road between Florence Road and Old Owen Road was closed for the investigation.

Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit are investigating the incident.

Cox Media Group