Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
PLEASANT HILL, Calif. - Police in Pleasant Hill are investigating a deadly shooting where the person who lives in an apartment shot an intruder, at least the third similar situation in the Bay Area in the last month.
The most recent case was reported at a home on Shadow Mountain Court and Camelback Road around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
About that time, police had gotten a call saying there was a man with a beard and no shirt acting "erratically," vandalizing cars and banging on windows in the neighborhood.
On Wednesday, the coroner identified him as 46-year-old John Kreutz of Pleasant Hill.
Laura Bryan in Pleasant Hill said the intruder tried to break into her home as well. Elissa Harrington reports
Right when officers arrived at the scene they heard the sound of gunfire coming from inside one of the homes. They found Kreutz on the living room floor.
He was taken to the John Muir Medical Center where he died. Police said he was shot in the chest and head. Kreutz was a married father of three. His family declined to comment.
Police said the man who opened fire used a legally-owned 9-millimeter handgun and at this time would likely not face any criminal charges pending a review of the case by the Contra Costa County DA's office.
"He and his witness wife were cooperative," said Pleasant Hill police Lt. David Nichols. "They're not looked as a suspect at this time, and there are no suspects outstanding."
Asked for comment by KTVU, the resident who fired his gun said,"I don't think that's a good idea."
Laura Bryan, one of the neighbors, told KTVU that she the intruder tried to break into her home as well.
"He was stumbling all over the place, making loud noises," she said, adding that he even fell into a front planter.
She was so scared, she said she hid behind a couch and called 911.
She said the man tried to get in through the front and back door – but both were locked.
He finally moved on to the duplex next door, where he was ultimately shot and killed.
The Pleasant Hill intruder-shooting is the Bay Area's third since early July.
In the middle of last month, a 51-year-old Santa Clara homeowner shot an alleged prowler who police say was sneaking around in the backyard and then broke a window and kicked in the back door to get in. In that case, the suspected burglar survived.
In early July, a homeowner eating breakfast with his wife in Fairfield heard a man kicking open his door and breaking in to his home on his surveillance camera.
He then shot the intruder twice with his legally owned .357 Magnum.
The suspect fled the house and collapsed across the street. Police said they found a loaded semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine next to his body.