SeaTac homeowner kills 1 suspect in attempted burglary; second suspect flees

SEATAC, Wash.-- A King County sheriff's helicopter hovered over the scene of an attempted burglary gone wrong at a home in SeaTac Thursday.

Deputies with search dogs combed the neighborhood around the house on 38th Avenue South at South 177th Street.

"Two people tried to break into the the house and he had shot one of them," says Mona Shade, the mother of the homeowner who fatally shot one of  two suspects. Shade tells Q13 News her son was home at the time of the burglary. And so were her two grandchildren, napping in a back bedroom.

"First, he said they knocked on the door," says Shade, "and then he didn't hear anything until someone was coming through the back window."

She says that open window with a fan in it happened to be where the 3-and 4-year-old were sleeping. Shade says her son had someone break into his home a few years ago, which led to him purchasing a firearm.



"I ache for the person," says Shade, "but then my heart goes out for my son because this is something he has to live with for the rest of his life. But, I'm glad he was able to protect him and my grandkids."

Authorities say daylight burglaries are common, but no word or reason why this house in particular was targeted.

"It's not unusual to have burglaries in the daytime," says King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West, "because that's when most people work."

West says the evidence from crime scene investigators and statements from the 31-year-old homeowner will go to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

"They'll ultimately decide if this man was in the right when he fired the shots."

The sheriff's office has not released the name of the shooter or person who was killed. The search for the second teenage burglary suspect continues.

If you have any information about this suspect, you're urged to contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. Your tip could lead to a cash reward.