ST. CLAIR COUNTY • An elderly resident of rural St. Clair County told police he was defending himself when he fatally shot a man who was breaking into his home this afternoon, Sheriff Rick Watson said.

Watson said the man called 911 at 12:40 p.m. to report a burglary in progress at his home in the 2100 block of Imbs Station Road. The scene is about six miles north of Millstadt.

“We get there and there's a man laying in the driveway. He's not breathing, he's deceased,” Watson said.

“We talked to the homeowner there and he told us he heard glass breaking in the rear of the house and someone was trying to break in. And he fired one shot.”

Watson said the resident, a widower in his 70s who lived alone, told police: “I don't know if I hit the guy or not. The person took off and I took off to the other side of the house.”

He said the homeowner shot the man with a pistol. Watson said the homeowner told police the alleged intruder was inside the house when he was shot.

Watson said that the resident's version of events “appears to match up with the scene.”