Colorado Self-Defense: Homeowner Shoots, Kills 2 Teenage Would-Be Home Invaders In His Backyard :: 10/07/2022

Northglenn, CO – Two teenage boys were fatally shot by a homeowner as they attempted to commit a home invasion on Sunday afternoon.

The incident occurred at about 2 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the backyard of a home in the 1600-block of Pearl Street near Washington in Northglenn, KDVR reported.

Police said that two juvenile boys appeared to have trespassed into the backyard of a home with the intent of breaking into the home.

Officers said the suspects broke down a fence to get into the yard, KDVR reported.

However, neither of the juvenile suspects ever made it inside the house because the homeowner spotted the boys in the backyard.

Police said the homeowner said he believed the trespassers were armed, KDVR reported.

The homeowner opened fire on the would-be home invaders before they got to his back door.

Police said there was an exchange of gunfire, and both of the juvenile suspects were shot, KDVR reported.

Northglenn Police Department spokeswoman Renae Lehr confirmed that one of the dead teens fired a gun at the homeowner, the Colorado Sentinel reported.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found the two home-invasion suspects down in the yard they’d broken into.

Both suspects were transported to the hospital for treatment but neither boy survived his wounds, KDVR reported.

Authorities have not yet released the name of either of the dead suspects because of their minor ages.

But one of the dead teens was identified by his family as 16-year-old Ismael Cordova, KDVR reported.

The homeowner wasn’t injured during the incident, KDVR reported.

Police said the homeowner was questioned by detectives at the police station but later released.

Authorities said the homeowner hasn’t been charged with any crime at this time.

Northglenn detectives got a search warrant to look inside the homeowner’s residence, KDVR reported.

Police said that the homeowner was cooperating with investigators.

Officials said they believed that the thwarted attempted home invasion on Pearl Street was connected to another burglary that occurred hours earlier nearby, according to KDVR.

LJ Perceval said that when she and her son got home on Oct. 2, it was obvious their home had been burglarized, CBS News reported.

“We started looking through the house and noticed they had rummaged through my room and his room,” Perceval said. “We were totally violated. They went through my underwear and all my clothes.”

She said one of the items that was stolen was her son’s Airsoft rifle, CBS News reported.

“I was concerned because what were they going to use it for? Airsoft rifles look like real guns with the exception of a little orange butt on them,” the mother explained.

Perceval said she called 911 but was advised by the call taker that it would be a while before officers responded because of a “more serious” incident down the street, CBS News reported.

Police later connected the burglary of Perceval’s home to the thwarted home invasion down the street.

Authorities said the incident remained under investigation but that it would be up to the prosecutor’s office to determine whether to bring charges against the homeowner who has claimed he shot the juvenile suspects in self-defense.

Colorado’s “Make My Day” law provides immunity to homeowners if they kill an intruder in their home if they believe the intruder plans to commit a crime or use physical force after entering the residence, CBS News reported.

https://policetribune.com/homeowner-shoots-kills-2-teenage-would-be-home-invaders-in-his-backyard/