Wichita man shoots would-be intruders he overheard outside his home, police say
A 42-year-old man shot two would-be intruders who Wichita police say targeted his home for a break-in early Monday.
Police were called to the 1400 block of North Caddy, near 13th and Maize, for a burglary-in-progress call at about 2 a.m. According to a news release, when officers arrived they found a 19-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man with gunshot wounds inside of a 2017 Mazda that had crashed into a tree. Police say investigators learned a 42-year-old man who lives on the block shot the pair after he “heard his garage door open, went outside and heard a discussion between individuals in the Mazda and a black truck, targeting his home.”
The Mazda pulled into his driveway with its headlights off and the 19-year-olds tried to exit the car. But the 42-year-old man yelled at them and fired twice from a shotgun, hitting them and the car, police said in the news release. The black truck took off.
The Mazda hit the tree as it fled, police spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said by phone.
The 19-year-old woman was hit in the leg and her companion was hit somewhere on his body, police said without giving specifics. Both were hospitalized after police found them inside the Mazda with two handguns. The woman was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. The man has a serious injury, police said.
Police said the Mazda had been reported stolen sometime prior to Monday’s shooting. The man who shot the 19-year-olds was home with his 38-year-old spouse and 5-year-old son when the attempted break-in occurred, police said.
There’s no indication the homeowner and the burglars knew one another, Davidson said.
“The investigation is ongoing, and it will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office,” police said in the news release.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
