Sacramento Homeowner Fatally Shoots Attempted Burglary Suspect

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Officers believe a Sacramento homeowner fatally shot an attempted burglary suspect Sunday night.

Sacramento police say officers responded to the 5500 block of 27th Avenue a little after 9 p.m. to investigate a reported shooting in the area. At the scene, a man who had been shot at least once was found lying in the street.

The man was rushed to the hospital, but police say he was later pronounced dead.

"If it was really a break-in, had they not had a gun, would they be OK?" said Felicia Norvell who lives next door.

Norvell looked at pieces of shattered glass right outside her neighbors' home, shocked to see how close the deadly attempted home burglary was to her house.

"It's very close. A little too close for comfort," she said.

Investigators believe the man was involved in an attempted burglary of a home in the area. At some point during the incident, police say he was shot by the homeowner.

Police aren't saying whether the suspect was shot inside or outside the property.

So what are the legal differences and could the homeowner face charges? CBS13 asked law enforcement expert John McGinness, who says, in California, if a person enters a home unlawfully and poses an immediate threat, the shooting may be seen as justified.

But if the shooting happened outside the home, there is a greater need to prove the threat was still immediate. If not, the shooting won't be justified.

But ultimately, it's up to the district attorney's office, which will get the case after police finish their investigation and decide if charges are applicable.

As for Norvell, she thinks about her family's safety and how close the shooting was to her home.

"My son's window is right on the side of the house there. I mean was he trying to get into my house?" she said.

The suspect has since been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as 25-year-old Eddie Ward.