Holly MatkinAdair County, IA – A would-be burglar was shot by a homeowner after the suspect crashed a stolen car and tried to break into a local residence last week, according to investigators.
The series of events leading to the shooting began at approximately 3:18 a.m. on June 9, when the Adair County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) received a 911 call about a vehicle in the median of Interstate 80 near the Adair rest stop, the sheriff’s office said in a press release later in the day.
A deputy responded to the scene and discovered that someone had crashed the vehicle.
Investigators said the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen in Omaha, Nebraska.
As the crash investigation continued, another 911 call came into the communications center at 4:30 a.m. from a rural home located southwest of Casey, the ACSO said.
The homeowner said someone tried to break into his house and that he responded by shooting the suspected intruder.
Deputies who were searching for the driver of the stolen wrecked vehicle responded to the scene and administered first aid to the wounded suspect, according to the ACSO.
“The suspected intruder was transported by an Air-Ambulance to a Des Moines area hospital where he is receiving treatment for multiple gunshot wounds,” the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect’s condition and identity were not immediately released.
The ACSO said investigators believe the shooting occurred after the homeowner, who was alone in the house, was awakened by loud noises and the sound of glass breaking.
The resident said he then spotted someone trying to enter his home through a broken window.
That’s when the homeowner fired “multiple shots at the suspected intruder,” the ACSO said.
The sheriff’s office said the situation appeared to have been an “isolated incident” and that there is no information indicating there is any ongoing danger to the public.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the ongoing investigation into the incident.
