Around 5:00 AM on Monday, November 2, 2015, a Texas homeowner on Lake Dunlap reported a burglary in progress to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office. Out of fear for the safety of his family, the homeowner elected to defend himself rather than wait for authorities to arrive. He confronted and shot the suspect minutes later.
Investigator Sgt. Zachary McBride said “the homeowner was awakened inside his home by another person trying to enter his home through the back sliding-glass door… without his consent.” McBride continued, “The gunshots ceased the pending unlawful entry into the homeowner’s home.”
The suspect, 37-year-old Philip Owens, was taken to the hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries to the groin. Owens was found in possession of several items linking him to the burglary including gloves, crowbar, and a red headlamp identified in the homeowner’s description of the suspect.
Upon investigating further, McBride noticed many similarities between this case and a string of previous burglaries along the Guadalupe River each occurring in the early morning through the back door or sliding glass door of the victims’ homes.
Investigators also discovered that Owens had pawned a large number of items that may be connected with prior burglaries.
Chalk up a win for the good guys and proponents of home defense everywhere.
