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http://www.click2houston.com/news/14731086/detail.html

PORTER, Texas -- A homeowner shot and killed a burglary suspect in Montgomery County on Thursday afternoon, officials told KPRC Local 2.

The shoting happened at a home in the 21300 block of West Hammond near the Eastex Freeway shortly after 4 p.m.

Police said the homeowner opened fire when the suspected burglar broke into the house.


The suspect died at the scene.

An investigation is under way.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=5793118

Homeowner shoots and kills suspected burglar in Porter

By Laura Whitley
(11/29/07 - KTRK/PORTER, TX) - A homeowner in Porter shot and killed a suspected burglar Thursday. And the situation became so intense that the homeowner himself was taken to the hospital.

We're also learning there have been other problems with crime in the neighborhood on West Hammond near Highway 59.

Around 1:30pm, property owner Gary Southworth called 911 and said that he'd shot a man who was stealing from him and that he needed help. Paramedics rushed the suspected thief to Kingwood Hospital, but he died from his wounds.

Paramedics had to also take Southworth to the hospital after the shooting because the 60-year-old was having chest pains. Meanwhile, his wife, Alberta Southworth, says thieves had hit them several times recently.

"It's beyond awful," she said. "It's our whole life, I mean, he's been so sick and all we have left to live on is what they've stolen. We have nothing now. They took our bank account basically."

"He had reported two thefts in the past two days that had occurred in the nighttime hours," said Sgt. Bill Bucks with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. "It's my understanding that this is not his primary residence, but he does own the property. He came back to watch and make sure nobody stole anything from his house."

A new law that just went into effect in September allows Texans to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, cars and work places. The Castle Doctrine removes the requirement that a person must attempt to retreat before using deadly force.

It's important to note that the deputy told us that when Southworth called 911, he was requesting help for the man he just shot.

Southworth is in stable condition.

It's important to note that the deputy told us that when Southworth called 911, he was requesting help for the man he just shot.

The actions of a Good Guy.

This sounds like a justified shooting all the way, with or without Castle Doctrine.

Is it just me, or is there whole lot of of burglers showing up dead instead of court in Texas lately?

While the new "Castle Doctrine" doesn't really seem to come into affect here maybe homedefenders have a new confidence. Is it that the bad guys are just more active? At the rate we are going though it shouldn't be to long before we run out of bad guys.

Here is some new info. the dead man was an ex-con out on probation for theft.

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Nov. 30, 2007, 12:58PM
Man killed by Porter homeowner had theft record


By RENEE C. LEE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A suspected thief who was shot and killed outside a Porter residence by the homeowner has a criminal history and was on probation for a theft conviction, Montgomery County authorities said today.

Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Bucks added that the property owner, Gerald Lynn Southworth, had reported thefts from that address in the two days before the shooting and stayed overnight to guard his property.

''We don't see any criminal wrongdoing," Bucks said.

The case will be referred to a Montgomery County grand jury, which is standard procedure in fatal shootings.

Southworth was taken to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital on Thursday because of chest pains after the 1 p.m. shooting. He later left the hospital against doctors' orders, but is in stable condition, Bucks said today.

Rodney Earl Shamlin, 36, died at an area hospital shortly after the shooting.

Southworth called 911 on Thursday, saying he had shot a man in his yard in the 21000 block of West Hammond after he caught the man trying to steal from him, authorities said.

Shamlin, who still lay in the yard when patrol officers arrived, died a short time later with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Southworth said he fired once with his .44-caliber pistol after Shamlin raised an unknown object in his direction, the Sheriff's Office reported.

Bucks said the object Shamlin was holding was a hand tool, but he declined to specify was kind of tool it was.

Bucks said Southworth had filed a theft report on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said Southworth told officers that someone had stolen junk cars and car parts from the yard.

Southworth, who recently moved from the property, stayed there Wednesday night to guard the property, Bucks said.

renee.lee@chron.com


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hea ... 40854.html