A suspected burglar was shot dead by a Washington state homeowner Monday, who pulled the trigger while still on the phone with a 911 operator reporting the break-in, officials said.

The King County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter the incident happened around 2:30 a.m. in White Center, located south of Seattle, after the homeowner woke up to find the suspect inside his home.

“Initially he thought there were three suspects,” King County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Abbott told Q13 News. “So far the investigation is proving that not to be true, it just appears to be one suspect that acted alone at this time.”

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At some point, with the 35-year-old homeowner on the phone with 911, he opened fire on the intruder, killing him.

“You have every right to protect yourself or your family if you’re in fear for your life or safety, and it appears that’s what happened in this instance so far,” Abbott told Q13 News.

Police said a K9 tracking team went out to search for a possible second suspect, but no one else ended up being located.

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Neighbors told dQ13 News they already feel uneasy about crime reports in the area, and wonder how the homeowner is holding up after the shooting.

"I’m not glad he did it, but you got to do what you got to do,” neighbor Dale Matthews said.

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The shooting remains under investigation by police.