Homeowner Kills Intruder, Then Cops Kill Homeowner

Police mistook armed resident for intruder
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 31, 2018 3:00 PM CDT
Homeowner Kills Intruder, Then Cops Kill Homeowner
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / LPETTET)

Police say "a very chaotic and violent scene" greeted officers who were called to an Aurora, Colo., home over reports of a home invasion early Monday—and amid that chaos, a man who lived in the home was shot and killed by an officer. Around 1:30am, multiple 911 calls came in about a disturbance, including one call from an adult female who said an adult male was breaking into her home, the Aurora PD says in a press release. When police arrived, they heard gunshots fired inside the house, then encountered an armed adult male. An officer fatally shot that man, but when clearing the home to make sure it was safe, officers found the actual intruder dead on the bathroom floor; the armed male killed by police was a resident of the home who, police believe, had shot and killed the intruder.

Police also found a juvenile in the home who had been injured by the intruder; he was taken to the hospital with serious but not life-threatening wounds. Police say more details, including the identities of the two men, will be released as the investigation continues, but the family of the man killed by police identifies him to Fox 31 as 73-year-old Vietnam veteran Richard Black, and they say he owned the home; 9 News says Black and his wife are listed as the homeowners. The officer who shot the resident is on paid administrative leave, ABC 7 reports. "This is a very heartbreaking and tragic situation for everyone involved," the statement says. "We are providing assistance through our victim advocates to help the family of the deceased resident through this very difficult time." (More police shooting stories.)

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