Intruder shot in Carnation burglary

Residents of a quiet Carnation neighborhood were woken by gunshots early Wednesday, April 7, after a homeowner in his 70s shot a man who broke into his house.

By Seth Truscott • April 7, 2010 2:42 pm
Neighbor Briggs Hall talks to reporters at his home
Neighbor Briggs Hall talks to reporters at his home

Residents of a quiet Carnation neighborhood were woken by gunshots early Wednesday, April 7, after a homeowner in his 70s shot and wounded a man who broke into his house.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, which began at 5 a.m. when the homeowner, who lives in the 3,600 block of Lake Langlois Road, heard someone breaking into his car. The moment he went to his back door to investigate, the suspected burglar, a 35-year-old man, broke through the door.

Sheriff’s deputies believe that a fight ensued, with the homeowner being bashed on the head. He retreated to another room, grabbed a pistol, and confronted his assailant in the kitchen, where another struggle broke out, in which the suspected burglar was shot twice.

The homeowner then went to a nearby house and told his neighbor what happened. The neighbor went to the victim’s house and kept the downed suspect at gunpoint while police were called.

Deputies arrested the intruder, who was airlifted from Tolt Middle School’s field to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The man was not previously known to deputies; investigators speculated that he may be a transient living the woods.

The homeowner was treated at a local hospital.

Neighbor Briggs Hall told reporters that the 70-year-old homeowner has a difficult time walking.

“He’s not just 70, he has a case of Parkinson’s,” Hall said.

In spite of his mobility challenges, the man was able to successfully defend his home.

“I would be amazed that he could do that,” Hall said.

Most Lake Langlois residents watch out for each other, but the neighborhood seems to be changing.

“It’s a very friendly, tight-knit community, but there are strangers that come up and down that we don’t know,” said Hall, an eight year resident at the lake. “Things have disappeared. It’s enough of a concern that everybody in the neighborhood has a loaded gun.

“It’s remote enough and the addresses far enough away that it takes a little while for emergency help to get here,” he added. “That was a factor” in the shooting.