Ex-C.O. shoots Fresno home intruder

FRESNO – A burglar picked the wrong house to break into on Thursday morning.

Around 10:30 a.m., the suspect kicked in the door at a residence in a new subdivision near the 4700 block of West Fremont Avenue. Unfortunately for the burglar, the house belonged to a former Fresno County juvenile correctional officer who happened to be home at the time.

According to police, the former officer grabbed a gun and fired at the intruder. Although he was shot, the suspect managed to flee the scene. About a block from the home, the suspect encountered a Kings County welfare investigator who happened to be in the neighborhood and jumped into action when he saw the fleeing subject.

“Fortunately we had another off-duty officer that was in the area that put that off-duty status aside and immediately leapt in action, assisting in the apprehension,” said Fresno police Lt. Burke Farrah.

The investigator held the suspect until the police arrived and took him into custody.

Police said that the would-be robber suffered from at least one gunshot wound, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center.

“This is a case of the guy picking the wrong house,” Farrah said.

Investigators did not say whether the suspect was armed. The names of the suspect, the welfare investigator and the former officer have not been released.

The Fresno Police Department will be handling the investigation because none of their officers were involved.