A Pennsylvania homeowner shot a suspected burglar twice in the face over the weekend after the suspect refused to leave the homeowner’s property.
Pennsylvania State Police said they were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to a residence in the 800 block of Mae West Road in Henry Clay Township for a report of a burglary in progress. KDKA TVHenry Clay Township is located about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh, near the Maryland-West Virginia border.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and to take appropriate action to protect their home, their castle.”
The intruder, identified as 62-year-old David LeChuck of Cleveland, wandered through several rooms in the home before leaving, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Ober told the station.
Oberle told KDKA that the homeowner, who retrieved the gun, confronted LeChuck in his driveway, where LeChuck tried to break in again. The homeowner responded by firing multiple shots, hitting the intruder twice in the face, the station reported, adding that part of the incident was recorded on a doorbell camera.
“It’s very bizarre,” Oberle told KDKA. “Luckily the homeowner was armed. It could have been a lot worse.”
Ober’s office announced Monday that the homeowner is not suspected of wrongdoing and will not be charged. “We see no reason to charge him. He acted within his rights,” the office said.
Police treated Luczak at the scene until emergency responders arrived, and he was taken to a hospital in stable condition, KDKA reported.
“He’s very lucky. He’s very lucky to have survived. Again, it’s only by the grace of God that he’s still here,” Ober told the station.
He added to KDKA that authorities are investigating the possibility that Luczak may have had a “mental illness.” Ober told the station that authorities have spoken with Luczak’s family, but that the information they’ve received from him has been conflicting.
LeChuck was charged with murder in a 2013 killing, but Ober said he didn’t know if LeChuck was convicted, the department said.
KDKA reported that Luczak did not take anything from the home on Saturday, and Ober told the station that authorities were still investigating whether the suspect had a weapon. Luczak will be charged with burglary and trespassing, according to KDKA.
“This is very scary and we don’t want this to happen in Fayette County,” Oberle told the station. “Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home and to take appropriate action to protect their own home, their own castle.”
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