DA: Charleroi business owner shoots intruder
CHARLEROI, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Washington County district attorney said a Charleroi business owner shot an intruder when he found him upstairs.
He says after being shot by the owner of the Pet Boutique, the intruder crawled out a window onto the roof where police found him.
"It's disturbing and so close to home," said witness Bill Ball.
It was shortly after 9 a.m. when Ball says he was walking by a window at work when he saw a man climb out the window of a neighboring building and onto the roof. He said he immediately grabbed his cell phone and started recording.
"I said to my coworker, 'This guy must be drunk or high to be coming out here and laying on this roof,'" Ball said.
Ball says he and his coworkers then watched in disbelief as Charleroi police officers came through the window.
"They had this guy out on the roof on his belly by the time I got there," said witness Alex Smith. "They had to bust the window out to get out there."
Rewind a few minutes to just before 9 a.m. when business owners along McKean Street were opening their doors for the day, including the owner of the Pet Boutique.
That's when, according to the Washington County district attorney, the pet shop owner heard a commotion above the business, which is vacant. When he went upstairs to check it out, the district attorney said he encountered an intruder and shot and wounded him.
"The guy that shot him came walking down and told me, 'yup, the guy was breaking in while I was there,' and he's like, 'I guess they broke in before and they got away,'" said Magic City Barber Shop owner Lee Zielinski. "He was like, 'But I was in the room this time and I shot him.'"
It's unclear what transpired when the owner encountered the intruder or if the intruder was armed. The district attorney said the investigation is ongoing.
