ID: Another example of why to keep your gun handy...

[ELB]

Awful:

3 dead after home invasion, massive house fire south of Meridian

Around 10:30pm on 27 Sep 17 for unknown reasons a man with a gun pounded on the door of a house and occupants called 911. As deputies arrived the man succeeded in entering, was observed by deputies to be carrying a long arm, and refused orders to drop the weapon. Deputies fired at the man, unknown if they hit him or if he fired back. He disappeared into the house and moments later the deputies observed flames coming from the house. An elderly woman died in the fire, and one of two people who escaped with assistance of deputies later died of injuries. Body of a fourth person, presumed to be the intruder, was found in the remains of the house. House was total loss, collapsed into basement. Authorities know of no prior connection between the intruder and the occupants.

Ugh.

[Oldgringo]

Awful:

3 dead after home invasion, massive house fire south of Meridian

Around 10:30pm on 27 Sep 17 for unknown reasons a man with a gun pounded on the door of a house and occupants called 911. As deputies arrived the man succeeded in entering, was observed by deputies to be carrying a long arm, and refused orders to drop the weapon. Deputies fired at the man, unknown if they hit him or if he fired back. He disappeared into the house and moments later the deputies observed flames coming from the house. An elderly woman died in the fire, and one of two people who escaped with assistance of deputies later died of injuries. Body of a fourth person, presumed to be the intruder, was found in the remains of the house. House was total loss, collapsed into basement. Authorities know of no prior connection between the intruder and the occupants.

Ugh.

[ELB]

Follow-up:

The house that was destroyed in the fire was being rented by Scott and Lily McAlister, both in their 50s. Scott was bedridden with terminal liver cancer. Carmen Abbott, 84, who apparently was Scott's mother, also lived there. When the intruder broke started pounding on the door, Lily (I think) called 911, and when he broke in, they locked themselves in a bedroom. The police arrived, had a shootout with the intruder, who disappeared into the house, and then a fire started and completely burned the house. Carmen Abbott died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Scott and Lily escaped, but he later died of burn injuries.

The intruder's body was found in the house, but no word that I can find on cause of death. I don't feel like using his name, so I am just going to keep calling him the intruder.

The intruder was on 5 year's supervised probation for a domestic violence incident in 2014 where he tried to strangle his wife with their child present. It appears he did not serve any time for this, just probation. The terms of probation included 180 days "discretionary jail time" but it also appears this was never used. He had several probation violations, including testing positive for meth and staying out of contact with his parole officer for months at a time. He also did not complete his "batterers treatment program" nor his drug treatment program. A warrant was issued last summer, but he was not arrested until police investigated a disturbance involving him and a woman. He bonded out of jail five days later, on 22 Sep 17. He was supposed to report to an official within a day, but did not.

On 25 Sep a pastor called police to report that the intruder had posted on Facebook that he would pay money for anyone who brought his ex-girlfriend to him, and would also pay a bonus for killing the man she was with. The pastor also told police that the intruder was erratic and very violent when on meth, so sounds like the pastor knew him. Police did not take any action, likening his post to a rant that did not rise to the level of an illegal threat.

Two days later the intruder showed up at the McAlister's house. No indication that he knew the McAlisters or Carmen Abbott.

https://www.mymeridianpress.com/nampa/n ... a754a.html

https://adacounty.id.gov/Coroner/Media- ... Identified

https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/2 ... 226c7.html