Key Takeaways
- A 70-year-old pool hall owner shot a suspected intruder armed with a crowbar during an attempted burglary in Houston.
- The owner heard noise, went outside with a pistol, and faced an armed suspect charging at him.
- The intruder suffered a leg wound and fled but was later found by police and taken to a hospital.
- Investigators believe the suspects targeted televisions recently removed from the pool hall.
- The case is ongoing, with police still searching for a second suspect and no charges announced yet.
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HOUSTON, TX – A 70-year-old pool hall owner shot a suspected intruder around 2 a.m. Thursday after police say a man armed with a crowbar charged at him during an apparent burglary attempt in Houston’s Acres Homes area.
The shooting happened in the 7200 block of North Shepherd Drive near Millville Drive, as reported by KPRC Click2Houston. According to the Houston Police Department, the owner heard banging coming from the back of the business and went outside carrying a pistol to investigate.
Investigators said one suspect acted as a lookout while another suspect, armed with a crowbar, was at the rear of the building. Police said the lookout warned the second suspect, who then charged toward the owner.
The owner fired. The round struck the suspect in the leg. The man ran from the scene.
A short time later, employees at a nearby Jack in the Box called 911 after finding a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers determined he was the suspected intruder involved in the shooting. He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital. His condition has not been released.
More from USA Carry:
The owner told investigators he believes the suspects may have been targeting televisions inside the business that a contractor had recently removed from the walls, and he suspects someone may have told the intruders the TVs would be an easy target. That is investigative context about what may have drawn the suspects to the pool hall. It is not why the owner fired. Police say he fired only after an armed man closed the distance and charged him.
That distinction matters. A 70-year-old man, alone outside his business at 2 a.m., faced an attacker in his 20s who had a crowbar in hand and who covered ground toward him after being warned. A crowbar is a heavy steel bar capable of caving in a skull or breaking bones, and at closing distance a much younger man wielding one presents an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. The owner did not have the option to retreat and rethink. Based on the account police gave, the threat was in front of him and moving toward him, and that is the moment the law recognizes for the use of force in defense of a life.
Police are still searching for the second suspect, and no charging decision in the shooting has been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.
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