Homeowner shoots man he thought was breaking in and gets arrested, Oklahoma cops say

A homeowner getting ready for bed said he heard a car driving down his street and “assumed it was a burglar” because “no one drives through the neighborhood at that time unless it’s a thief,” according to authorities in Oklahoma.

It was about 3 a.m. Monday, Nov. 14 when the south Tulsa man then saw a silver car park around the corner and somebody get out, according to a news release from the Tulsa Police Department.

The homeowner grabbed a flashlight, a gun and his cellphone and went outside, police said. He did not call 911 or a non-emergency number.

As he left his house, he reported seeing a man running from his driveway while carrying some items, according to the news release.

“(The homeowner) said he yelled at the man to stop, but the man instead ran to his vehicle 50 yards away,” police said. “(He) said he chased after the man and when he got to the car, (he) said he pointed his flashlight and his gun at him and told him to show him his hands.”

The Tulsa man said he stepped in front of the car with his gun pointed at the man and continued demanding to see the other man’s hands.

“The man got out of the vehicle and stated, ‘You won’t shoot me,’” police said. “(The homeowner) said he would shoot him.”

The man stepped forward, authorities said, and the homeowner shot him in the stomach from about three feet away.

Police were called to the home and found the shooting victim in the grass with a gunshot wound, according to the news release. He was rushed to a hospital.

The man is expected to be OK and will be arrested on a burglary charge following his release from the hospital, police said.

But authorities do not believe the man stole anything from the homeowner, according to the release. Rather, he’s accused of breaking into a car next door.

Police presented the case to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, which determined the homeowner illegally fired his gun.

The homeowner was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, jail records show. He’s being held on a $25,000 bond.

This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Homeowner shoots man he thought was breaking in and gets arrested, Oklahoma cops say."