There was some real hatred going on there. After cracking up their vehicle, they got out and continued to fire handguns at the homeowner with the rifle.
“The three thugs exited the vehicle and approached on foot continuing the fire fight. The homeowner proved the better marksmen and stopped all three men before they could reach his property.
“One of the men was neutralized immediately, while the others were rushed to the hospital. The second shooter was pronounced dead on arrival and the third is still receiving care in critical condition — before his lengthy stay in prison.”
Looking at the neighborhood on Google maps, what comes to mind is that it is a suburban area, with older houses but large lots. Rifle vs. pistol would not be much of a contest if there was appreciable distance between them.
From the news report it looked around 50 to 70 yards away from the car crash to the homeowner's home. I guess these guys didn't realize what they were up against. Dumb. The rifle was probably scoped and they probably didn't take much cover and it was night.