Homeowner kills N. Bend intruder

An intruder who smashed his way into a home in North Bend was shot and killed Friday night by the homeowner after the suspect broke through the bedroom door, King County sheriff's officials said.



The incident unfolded at about 11:40 p.m. in the 300 block of SE Fifth Street, as deputies responded to a report of someone roaming around the neighborhood acting strangely and banging on the walls and doors of homes.



As officers searched the neighborhood for the suspect, they heard a loud crash at a home down the street, said Cindy West of the King County Sheriff's Office. At the same time, they received a 911 call from the owner of the home saying that someone had broken in.



As deputies set up a perimeter around the home, they heard loud noises coming from inside. Deputies then received a second 911 call from the homeowner saying that he had shot the intruder.



Deputies entered the home and found the suspect dead on the bedroom floor.



The homeowner told deputies that he and his girlfriend heard the intruder smash his way into their home by throwing a propane tank through the rear sliding glass door.



As the couple retreated to another room, they could hear the intruder making his way through the house, trashing it and breaking things.



The homeowner grabbed his pistol and yelled to the intruder to get out, warning that he was armed.



According to West, the intruder yelled back and said, "Where are you? I will mess you up."



The couple then retreated to the bedroom and locked the door, but the intruder followed them and broke through the bedroom door.



As the suspect entered the bedroom, the homeowner shot and killed him, then called 911.



The homeowner and his girlfriend were uninjured. They told deputies they didn't know the intruder and had never seen him before.



West said the intruder may have been the same person who reportedly was harassing customers at a nearby Shell station about 45 minutes earlier.