Troy George Skinner, 25, has been arrested for breaking and entering with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit rape, robbery or murder.

An Auckland man who was shot after allegedly breaking into the home of a United States teenager has been arrested at his hospital bedside.

Goochland County sheriff James Agnew said Troy Skinner was arrested Tuesday (local time) for breaking and entering with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit rape, robbery or murder.

"He is being held without bond and he won't have a bond hearing until he is released from the hospital," Agnew said.

GOOCHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE A Goochland County sheriff said Troy Skinner smashed a glass door to try to enter the home of the girl.

Skinner allegedly tried to break into the home of the 14-year-old in Goochland, Virginia, after meeting her online.

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He was shot in the neck by her mother with a .22 pistol and rushed to hospital.

Skinner suffered internal bleeding from the wound, Agnew said.

Skinner was being treated in a secure ward for incarcerated people at VCU Medical Centre with a deputy at his side, he said.

"He is not speaking with us at this time."

A VCU spokesman said Skinner remains in a "fair" condition.

Further charges were likely but what they would be weren't yet known, Agnew said.

Do you know Troy Skinner or more about the case? Email newstips@stuff.co.nz

"We're still in this investigation and we still have a ways to go."

Agnew said notes were found on Skinner after he was shot.

"He had made some reminder notes for himself for some things and I don't want to go into the details, but yes, he did.

"He had handwritten notes that indicated that it took a lot of planning for this trip."

Skinner's alleged attempt to break into the house was earlier labelled relentless and violent by Agnew.

"[The attack] was pretty hard to fathom," Agnew said.

"It was a determined, planned, violent attack where he was relentless in his attempts to get into the house."

Agnew said Skinner was repeatedly warned by the homeowner that she had a gun but that didn't stop him.

Home invasions were unusual in Goochland and the attack was very rare, he said.

Upon his release from hospital, Skinner would be taken to Henrico County Jail, Agnew said.

Skinner had flown from Auckland to Los Angeles before travelling to Virginia where he allegedly claimed he was a hitchhiker who needed help. Agnew said he smashed a glass door to try to enter home of the girl, who lives with her mother, father, and 18-year-old sister.

"All I can say is the manner in which he attempted to enter that home in the face of a firearm pointed at him and the implements we recovered from him - the only inference is that he had very bad intent," Agnew said.

"His arrival here was totally unexpected by anyone.

"He had been told in the past that the daughter no longer wished to communicate with him."

Agnew said Skinner bought a knife and duct tape from Walmart after arriving in the US.

Pepper spray was also found on him, he said.

The girl's mother saw a man trying to enter her home, warned him several times she had a gun, then fired after he broke the glass on the second door he tried to open. Skinner was struck in the neck.

Agnew continued: "I have to emphasise very clearly, that while he may be ... in the hospital [with a gunshot wound], he is not the victim. The lady [who shot Skinner to prevent him from entering] and her family members are the victims."

New Zealand Police are aware of the incident and will assist the US Authorities as necessary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it was in touch with Skinner's family and had offered consular assistance. For privacy reasons no further information would be provided, a spokeswoman said.

'PLANNED TRIP'

Investigators believe Skinner's actions were part of a clearly planned trip from New Zealand, local news outlet the Times-Dispatch reports.

Skinner first made contact with the Goochland girl three to four months earlier via Discord, a voice-over-internet app that allows video-gamers to communicate via their personal device.

US authorities have traced Skinner's movements back to a flight from Auckland at 6.05am on June 20 to Sydney. From there, Skinner boarded a 9.25am flight to Los Angeles.

He took a third flight at 9.40pm to Washington DC, and then caught a Greyhound bus at 8.35am to Richmond, Virginia, 175 kilometres south of Washington DC.

The Times-Dispatch reports that a neighbour saw a man in black clothing about 2.30pm cross the road near Steeplechase Parkway, where the mother and daughter lived.

Two hours later, authorities received a phone call about a man wearing black trying to break into the family's home.

Agnew said the mother was downstairs with one of her daughters when Skinner knocked on the front door, but she did not go to the door.

"They thought that was the end of it until they saw him at the back basement door, which is situated under the deck."

"He got a brick and attempted to break that door down," the sheriff said.