Burglary ends with suspect shot in Camden County

CAMDENTON, Mo. — The Camden County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is investigating a burglary that ended in a shooting that has left one dead.

According to a press release for CCSO, deputies were called to a Camdenton residence on North Highway 7 at around 3 a.m. on Oct. 2 for a burglary in progress.

The 911 caller told dispatchers that they had shot one of the burglars, while another drove off in an unknown make and model, dark-colored vehicle, according to the release. First responders provided medical care to the suspect, who died at the scene.

“They also told us that one of the subjects was able to escape,” Camden County Sgt. Scott Hines said. “They got into a dark-colored vehicle, no make no model and drove off. By the time our deputies got there, the subject was deceased.”

In Missouri under the castle doctrine, it is legal for an individual to use deadly force to defend themselves against an intruder.

“Essentially, what the castle doctrine says, is that if you’re in fear for your life, you do have the right to protect yourself,” said Hines. “And I’ll let the attorneys get into the weeds on that. But that’s the long and the short of it and in this situation, I think that we’re going to find it.”

“We’re [a] community here, we all know one another in this community. We have each other’s back,” Garcia said. “It’s not really much of a situation where, ‘oh, did you hear this happened?’ Just like I said it’s very unexpected when something like that happens.”

Authorities are still searching for the second suspect.

CCSO says deputies and detectives are working at the scene to investigate, and does not believe there is an active threat to the public.