Jackson resident kills alleged burglar

A suspected burglar has been shot and killed by a homeowner, officials said Wednesday.

The incident happened around 10:15 a.m. in the 1500 block of Martin Luther King Drive, Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said.

According to Vance, the homeowner saw the man trying to get in a sliding glass back door and was able to retrieve what police believe was a shotgun. Then he shot the intruder.

He died of one gunshot wound to the chest. Police said it's not clear if the intruder was armed, but no weapon was immediately found.

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"I think it was a terrible decision made by the part of the deceased that cost him his life," Vance said.

So far neither the suspected burglar nor the homeowner have been identified.

"I'm not really comfortable about releasing any information on the homeowner," Vance said. "This individual was very distraught, very upset about the action that was taken. But it appears that the homeowner, the occupant, had no other choice than to take the action that he did."

It's not uncommon for a home or business owner to shoot an intruder during the course of a break-in. Mississippi has legislation commonly known as the Castle Law that allows a person to protect his or her home or other legally occupied place such as a business or vehicle with reasonable force, including deadly force. Vance said that's a message that needs to be understood by would-be burglars.

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"Some people are not going to tolerate this, and the're going to defend their home, and it's their right to do so," Vance said. "Unwanted intruders are not welcome, and the consequences could be deadly."

The case will be sent to the district attorney's office to be presented to the grand jury, Vance said, which is routine and does not imply the homeowner is in the wrong.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.