Homeowner says he killed intruder with suspect’s own gun in Indianapolis

Indianapolis (WXIN) — a man died Attempted home invasion in Indianapolis.

Just before 7pm TuesdayPolice were called to a neighborhood on the city's east side after a homeowner reported a masked man breaking into his home during an attempted robbery.

The homeowner, Brent Smith, spoke to Nexstar's WXIN shortly after he was released from custody without charge.

“He hit me in the head with a gun and said he knew what it was, and I screamed that he was trying to rob me,” Smith recounted the incident.

Smith alleges that he immediately got into a fight with the would-be thief and the two crashed into a glass table inside his home.

“It was like a movie, me and him fighting over the gun,” Smith said.

During the struggle, Smith admitted to shooting the intruder with the suspect's own gun.

Damon Swanigan Jr., 22, was killed on the front porch of his home when he was struck by a barrage of gunfire from outside. The gunfire, believed to have come from an unknown suspect outside the home, damaged the siding and front door and shattered the windows of a car parked on the street.

“When the gun went off, I heard thousands of gunshots,” Smith said. “It was a lot of shooting, a lot of shooting.”

During the shootout, Smith said he grabbed a gun and fired himself before the suspects in the street drove off, leaving a pile of broken glass in his car.

“I never thought, 'It's them or me,' I was basically just trying to survive myself,” Smith said.

Police questioned Smith overnight, but he was released pending further investigation because Indiana law allows him to defend himself and his home with deadly force.

Smith remains emotional as he remembers the life he took.

“That doesn't make sense, dude. I didn't want to do that,” Smith said. “I don't know what his intentions were, but I didn't want to get shot. That's all I needed.”

Police have no information about the suspect or any suspects who may have fled the scene.