Neighbors: Renter’s own gun turned against him during burglary

SNOHOMISH, Wash. -- Police said a Snohomish man ended up in a fight for his life when he came home and caught a burglar in the act Sunday night.

Neighbors believe the crook used the victim’s own gun to shoot and wound the man. Neighbors are frightened because the violent burglar is still on the loose.

“I probably won’t sleep too well tonight,” said neighbor Aleshia Hillier.



Neighbors at the apartment building on Lincoln Avenue have more questions than answers after a burglar shot one of their own.

“If you hear a noise on Super Bowl it’s like it could have been fireworks, but it wasn’t anything we would have looked outside,” she said.

The big game had just ended when neighbors said the man living in apartment 5 came home to find a stranger inside.

Neighbors said the renter grabbed his gun to confront the crook. But instead of stopping the burglar, his own weapon may have been used against him

“He went to go for his firearm because he’s a security guard,” said Hillier. “A struggle ensued and when he realized the situation had escalated too far he tried to disengage his weapon and that’s when the shot went off.”

The man was listed in fair condition at the hospital.

The backside of the building has a gaping hole in the wall, but neighbors said they never heard a gunshot.

Sheriff’s deputies and canines searched the surrounding neighborhood looking for the suspect but they came up empty-handed.

It’s unsettling news for this tight-knit block.

“Really scary, considering that I am like 9.5 months pregnant,” said Hillier. “So it’s really scary. Like, why this apartment complex? Why this apartment?”

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office does not yet have a good description of a suspect.