Woman shoots, kills man who tried to break into her north Phoenix home

PHOENIX – Police say a man who tried to break into a north Phoenix home has died after being shot by the homeowner.

Phoenix Police say officers responded to reports of a burglary near 23rd Avenue and Bell Road just before 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Investigators say when the man tried to get into the home and was shot by the female homeowner.

The man was taken to a hospital with critical injuries where he later died.

The woman was interviewed by police and claimed self-defense in the shooting. She was released.

The case will be submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review.

“If you break in my house, my privacy, I do anything to defend myself, and if I gotta kill you, I will do it too. I’m sorry, that’s how I feel,” one neighbor said in reaction to the shooting.