Pennsylvania Self-Defense: Teen burglars greeted by gunfire in Jeannette :: 03/23/2016

JEANNETTE, Pa. —When four juveniles tried to enter a home through a window late Tuesday night, two of them were shot by a man who lives in the house, Jeannette police said.

Within minutes of the incident on Chestnut Street, both the shooter and one of the teenagers who was taken into police custody were apparently posting about it on Facebook. The sound of gunfire by the man defending his home startled neighbors shortly after 11 p.m.

"I thought it was fireworks, and I heard it again and I realized it wasn't," said Josh Piccar, who lives near the scene.

Police said the resident's gunfire struck two of the juveniles in the legs. All four boys took off running.

The would-be burglary victim posted on Facebook that he had opened fire, writing, "Thank God for the right to bear arms" and "I kept my house safe" and "took all six shots out of my little .380 to keep my family safe."

One of the wounded suspects, age 16, was found collapsed and bleeding on the 11th Avenue Bridge about a half-mile away, police said.

The other boy who was shot, a 13-year old, was found on Chambers Avenue, police said.

"Definitely a lot of police activity," Piccar said. "The streets were piled up with police."

Two uninjured boys, ages 15 and 16, returned to the scene after the gunfire to watch police activity and were taken into custody, police said.

From the back of a police car, one of the uninjured teens broadcast a live Facebook video in which he could be heard insulting police and talking about how the two others were shot.

All four teens will be taken to the Westmoreland County juvenile detention facility, police said. They are not being identified because of their ages.

So far, police haven't charged the 21-year-old resident who shot the teens, saying he may have had a right to defend himself under the state's Castle Doctrine.

http://www.wtae.com/news/2-juveniles-shot-while-forcing-their-way-into-jeannette-home/38649308