Pittsburgh-area woman shoots and kills home intruder

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (KDKA) — A Beaver County woman shot and killed a man who broke into her home in the middle of the night, police said.

“The door to her basement opened and there stands this guy who she had no idea who he was, and she ended up shooting him three times and killing him,” Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said.

The district attorney described the terrifying moments inside the home on 10th Avenue in Beaver Falls on Wednesday. The homeowner showed KDKA-TV the basement window the man busted open to get inside the home.

The woman, armed with a 9mm handgun, went downstairs after hearing noises and came face to face with the stranger.

KDKA-TV’s Jennifer Borrasso: “Did she do the right thing?”

Bible: “I think so. In that situation from a legal standpoint, yes, she did nothing wrong.”

Pennsylvania follows the “castle doctrine,” which means a person’s home can be defended by deadly force to protect against an intruder.

Beaver Falls police and county detectives are investigating, but Bible said he does not believe they’ll request criminal charges.

“If someone enters your house, they are making that conscious decision. They are there to steal from you or hurt you in other ways. You have that right to protect yourself and use deadly force,” Bible said.

KDKA-TV asked Bible what people should do to protect themselves if they do not have a gun.

“There are classes to learn self-defense, get a big dog to help you,” he said. “Outside of having a firearm, anything can be used as a weapon.”

The name of the man who was killed has not been released.