Homeowner shoots man who reportedly broke into home west of Springfield, Mo.

NEAR SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Authorities say a man who forced entry into a home west of Springfield was shot Friday morning.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting, which happened just after 6:30 Friday morning. Deputies went to a house in the 6000 block of West Independence. That is an outer road of I-44 near Highway MM, just west of Springfield.

A spokesman for the sheriff’s office says the initial call was for a possible residential burglary. When deputies arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound.

Investigators say that man forced entry through the front door of the house, then the homeowner shot him after a confrontation.

Sgt. Jason Winston says it is still early in the investigation but at this point, they don’t believe the homeowner knew the man who was shot.

“We have no idea what the motive was behind this,” said Greene County Deputy Jason Winston. “I’m sure detectives, when they do their interviews and things like that, they’ll find out more details. But as of now, it’s still early. It’s still fresh.”

Authorities have not yet determined a motive in the incident.

The Greene Sheriff’s Office says it’s too early to determine whether the homeowner was justified through Missouri’s stand your ground law. But they say the law is there to allow people to protect themselves when someone breaks into their home.

An investigation remains ongoing, but the sheriff’s office believes this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.