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80-Year-Old Chicago Man Kills Armed Home Invader
Published May 26, 2010
| FOXNews.com
An 80-year-old Chicago man shot and killed an armed man who broke into his two-story house in a pre-dawn home invasion Wednesday on the city's West Side.
At about 5:20 a.m., the homeowner and his wife, also in her 80s, discovered the intruder entering their home through a back door. The homeowner, who had a gun, confronted and killed the burglar on the doorstep, police said. Cops said the intruder also fired his gun during the struggle.
"It's a good thing they had a gun, or they might be dead," said Curtis Thompson, who lives next door to the couple, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Neighbors described the elderly couple, who both walk with canes, as pillars of the community in Garfield Park, where home invasions have been all too frequent.
Their neighbor, Shaquite Johnson, told MyFoxChicago that the two are "heroes" for fighting off the attacker — and that the shooting means there is "one less criminal" walking the streets.
"They don't bother no one, so why would anyone do that to them?" she said.
Relatives of the couple told the Sun Times that the man is an Army veteran, his wife a former nurse. Police said neither the man nor the woman was injured in the attack.
The assailant, who was described by police as being in his 30s, was found slumped on the back doorstep of the couple's house, removed four hours after the shooting, the Sun Times reported.
No charges have been filed against the homeowner, but Chicago currently has a statute outlawing the possession of handguns. Its legality is currently being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A high-profile Chicago attorney has already stepped forward offering to represent the man pro bono if he faces charges for possessing a weapon.
"Self-defense isn't just a right, it's a duty," said attorney Joel Brodsky. "If this man is prosecuted for saving his own life it's not just a travesty, it's justice turned inside out."
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Elderly Homeowner Shoots Invasion Suspect Dead
Drew Peterson's Lawyer Offers Pro Bono Services
Updated: Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 3:34 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 8:11 AM CDT
Sun-Times Media Wire
Chicago - An elderly Chicago man shot and killed a home invader early Wednesday in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. The man's wife and great-grandson were sleeping inside and were not hurt.
At 5:22 a.m., an armed suspect entered a residence at 623 N. Sawyer Ave. -- the home of a man and woman in their early 80s. Their 13-year-old great-grandson was sleeping inside.
When the suspect broke into the residence, he awakened the homeowner who then confronted the suspect, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said. The elderly man shot the suspect in the chest.
A spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death of a man from the Sawyer address but had no further information immediately.
The suspect was a man in his 30s, Mirabelli said. Two weapons were recovered from the scene, Mirabelli said.
On Wednesday, Drew Peterson's lead attorney Joel Brodsky told a crime blog that he'd be happy to represent the homeowner for free, if the man is charged with violating Chicago's gun ban.
"Self defense isn’t just a right, it’s a duty," Brodsky told CrimeFileNews.com . "If this man is prosecuted for saving his own life it’s not just a travesty, its justice turned inside out."