UPDATE: Fair Oaks Resident Arrested After Killing Suspected Burglar, Injuring Another
FAIR OAKS (CBS13) – A homeowner shot two men who broke into his home early Wednesday morning, killing one of them, and now the homeowner is behind bars.
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies were called to a home in the 6900 block of Laurel Oak Way near Madison Avenue around 2:30 a.m. for a report that someone had broken into a home and a possible shooting.
Jerry Rasmussen, 60, told deputies he discovered a man inside his home around 2 a.m. Rasmussen reportedly got his gun and fired at the suspect, who then ran out of the home. He then saw a second suspect in the doorway of a bedroom and shot at him before running to a neighbor's house for help, Sgt. Jason Ramos said.
Deputies found one of the suspects, a man in his 30s, dead inside the home. A short while later, they got word of a man at a local hospital being treated for a gunshot wound. Deputies believe he is the second suspect.
There were signs of forced entry into the home and deputies believe burglary was the motive. However, further investigation revealed Rasmussen is a convicted felon who was unlawfully in possession of the firearm, Ramos said. He was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Sacramento County Jail.
"We don't know if there is any relationship between these two and the homeowner, but the action that he took, he's been cooperative ever since. He remained on the scene and is speaking with investigators," Ramos said prior to Rasmussen's arrest.
Neighbors say the area is normally quiet but one man said several residents are armed.
"It could have been us, it could have been any of us," neighbor Larry Haven said. "A lot of us on the street, we are armed and we watch the neighborhood really good."
The names of the suspects have not been released.
