Intruder banging door killed by homeowner

Houston Chronicle ^ | Jan. 2, 2004, 10:58PM

[Nayt2]

A homeowner fatally shot an intruder who refused to leave his northwest Houston home after repeatedly banging on the door.

The victim, shot in the shoulder and chest, died at Ben Taub Hospital. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Arthur Coronado Jr., 54, of the 20400 block of Finat.

The 52-year-old homeowner heard loud knocking on his front door in the 8900 block of Lomax around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, saw the unidentified man outside and told him to stop. But the intruder ignored those warnings and kept banging on the door with enough force to nearly open it. The homeowner grabbed a pistol.

When the intruder disregarded another request to leave, the homeowner fired several shots through the door. The intruder then walked a short distance down the street and collapsed.

[Nayt2]

it could be debated, but i think the homeowner was justified in firing. i doubt he was trying to KILL the intruder.

[Fledermaus]

One word: GOOD! One less jerk on the planet.

[#3Fan]

New Year's Eve.

[Flyer]

Not enough info here to fully support the home owner, but with the recent rash of violent crime here it is understandable.

[DB]

I don't agree.

The homeowner should have waited for the door to fail if it was going to. Also, if he had time to go get his gun he could have also called the police while getting his gun.

There are scenarios where the guy banging on the door wasn't doing anything wrong. For example let's say he just had a car wreck, his wife and/or child in the car is bleeding badly or the car is on fire and you need to call for help immediately. You may not even notice someone telling you to go away.

Shooting an unarmed person through your front door is not okay.

[DonQ]

We haven't yet heard anything about the identity or circumstances of the person who was shot .... and since he was on the outside, knocking on the door like an honest person, I would hardly call him an "intruder". We have only the shooter's version of things. When all the details are known, the result may be startling.

[jimtorr]

....the intruder ignored those warnings and kept banging on the door with enough force to nearly open it.

Great headline. It sounds like the homeowner killed the door, and then an intruder started banging on it. Newspaper folks are becoming illiterate.

Calling him an intruder is questionable anyway, since he never entered the house, but it appears he was not just banging on the door, he was attempting to force it open.

[explodingspleen]

I disagree that the homeowner should have waited for the door to fail. The intruder might have had a gun, and after he broke down the door the person on the other side would have line of sight with the homeowner.

The homeowner told him to leave repeatedly. By choosing to persist the intruder took his life into his own hands.

[eastforker]

At night and in Texas on his property this guy was well within the law.You are assuming the guy had a phone? Why should he be required to call the police? Why should he risk his life waiting for the door to fail?It sounds to me like he was afraid for his life, that all one needs to use lethal force.

[thesummerwind]

Intruder banging door killed by homeowner

"Knock Three Times .......", and then split, dude.

[csvset]

~ I hear you knocking, but you can't come in. ~

Perhaps Arthur Coronado Jr. didn't understand the words that were being used.

[thesummerwind]

Great headline. It sounds like the homeowner killed the door

Nah, that would have had to be, "Intruder Banged Door Killed by Homeowner"

[thesummerwind]

Calling him an intruder is questionable anyway, since he never entered the house, but it appears he was not just banging on the door

Damn he was just selling Girl Scout cookies for his shy daughter.

[Jim Noble]

The problem with the law is that it seems to presume that in a potentially life-threatening situation a homeowner will have nerves of steel, exquisite judgement, and the skill of an experienced gunfighter.

None of these things are likely to be true.

It is a very bad result if you can be killed for knocking on someone's door after a car accident, for example. The shooting certainly should be investigated by the DA (whereas, if you shoot somebody after he breaks the door down, I think the DA should give you a medal and split the savings with you).

I'm not sure how to write the law to cover all possible contingencies that occur outside of your four walls. Endorsing "if the homeowner felt threatened, he was" sounds like "If she says it was rape, it was".

I think the standard for self defense needs to be much higher if the dead guy is on the other side of your locked door.

[Jim Noble]

i doubt he was trying to KILL the intruder

The legal standard is, and rightly so IMO, that if you shoot a gun at someone and they die that you were trying to kill them.

Justification is an absolute defense, but gunfighting skills that would allow a defense of nonlethal intent are very, very rare.

[eastforker]

You are of course assuming the locked door will keep someone out. The article says he was afraid the door would fail.IMHO he had every right to defend his property and his life if he was in fear of losing it.

[DB]

So anyone that gets blown away on the other side of closed door is fair game eh?

You only have the shooters word that he banged on the door too long or that he warned the victim.

And of couse anyone who does blow away somebody else on the otherside of the door will say "I warned them to go"...

A bit thin for life and death choices.

Apparently you can't, but I can stand 10' back from the door and fill whatever breaks through with holes without having to do it before the door opens.

[joesnuffy]

Home invasion robberies and subsequent murders of the victims is on the rise...

[DB]

Standing away from the door holding a gun at whatever comes through (if they do come through the door) isn't that risky on your part. As soon as the door starts to come open it's over for the perp.

[BlessedBeGod]

One word: GOOD! One less jerk on the planet.

Just because someone acts like a jerk doesn't mean they deserve to die. How many times have you acted like one?