MURRIETA, CALIFORINA – An early morning home invasion turned really ugly really quickly when the residents engaged the suspects in an exchange of gunfire, killing two and wounding two others. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in the 37000 block of Calle de Lobo at 4:01 a.m. on December 28th.
Upon arrival, they found two people dead – a suspect and a resident. A second suspect and a second resident who were also shot were transported to a hospital for treatment, and information on their conditions was not available. Deputies believe a third suspect in the crime fled in a vehicle.
According to Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, two men “forced entry into the residence and began assaulting one of the residents inside,” which led to an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and residents. All four persons who were shot were identified by police as males, with no further information available.
Being armed and exercising legal rights to defend one’s self in their home is not always a guarantee that things will end well. In this case, the losses were equal on both sides. Early warning systems, such as home alarm systems and alert dogs may provide the advantage by giving you precious extra seconds to arm yourself and take a defensive position in the home, as compared to being awakened in bed after the bad guys are already inside. Even then, there are no guarantees.