No charges are likely against a homeowner who shot a man breaking into a vehicle parked in front of the home, El Cajon police said Monday.
A homicide investigation was launched early Sunday after a man was found dead with a gunshot wound in a crashed car.
A homeowner told police that at about 1 a.m. Sunday he had shot a man who was breaking into his vehicle in front of his home on Mona Place.
At about the same time, another person called ECPD to report a pickup truck had crashed into his home on Chase Avenue.
Inside the crashed pickup truck, a man was found dead with at least one gunshot wound.
A confrontation ensued. That's when the homeowner fired several shots at the 32-year-old alleged burglar, striking him at least once, ECPD said.
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The wounded man hopped into his own car and took off.
Moments later he crashed into the home on Chase Avenue, less than a quarter-mile from where he was shot.
The man, who police consider a burglary suspect, was declared dead at the scene. His name is being withheld pending family notification.
Neighbors told NBC 7 the man who fired the gun was visibly shaken after the confrontation.
"We see our neighbor kind of on the floor kind of in shock," Mariana Ritchie told NBC 7.
ECPD said the homeowner was cooperating with investigators and was not considered a suspect. No arrest was made.
Chase Avenue, about a half-mile from the El Cajon Boulevard exit of eastbound Interstate 8, was closed in both directions during the investigation.
