A 79-year-old military veteran and Crosby gun shop owner shot and killed a suspected burglar early Tuesday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

The owner was asleep in his home in the 2000 block of Kennings Road, just west of Bohemian Hall Road, around 4:30 a.m. when he heard someone breaking into the adjacent combination gun store/barber shop he owned, Gonzalez said. He awoke and spotted two cars in the roadway and went out to investigate.

He came upon a few men who had just broken into the store by pulling the front door open using a car and chains, Gonzalez said. The men saw the owner outside the business and opened fire - but missed, Gonzalez said.

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The owner hid behind a tree and returned fire after bullets whizzed into the tree trunk. After coming back out, he saw a trail of blood, but the suspected burglars had fled.

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About 15 minutes after the initial shootout, a man in his 30s was found shot to death in the 3800 block of Morales Road, about 10 miles south of the gun store on Kennings Road.

Two men were seen giving CPR to the injured man, both of whom were taken into police custody, Gonzalez said. Investigators also recovered three guns near the scene on Morales Road.

The gun store owner, a 79-year-old military veteran, was not immediately charged, Gonzalez said. A grand jury will likely determine if charges are necessary.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com

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