A homeowner was arrested on second-degree murder charges after he allegedly gunned down an intruder who was showering in his home, authorities said.
Officials from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state posted on Twitter that the homeowner had been cooperating with authorities after the incident at a home on East Trails Road in Belfair on Saturday. Several hours later, authorities said the homeowner was arrested after shooting the intruder multiple times as he was in the shower.
“Lots of reactions to the arrest,” the department posted in a subsequent tweet. “There is more to the story that can not be released yet. You may reserve your judgement [sic] until facts are out.”
The intruder was identified by the Mason County Coroner’s Office as Nathaniel Joseph Rosa, 31, of Bothell, KOMO reports.
The confrontation happened about 8 a.m. Saturday when the unidentified homeowner went to one of the homes on his property, where cops say he runs an internet-based firm out of the building. After noticing the front door kicked in and a missing window screen, the homeowner went inside and found the intruder in the shower. He then left the home after the pair exchanged words, KOMO reports.
“He returned home, retrieved a firearm, came back over to the residence and fired multiple rounds into the shower … killing the intruder,” Mason County Sheriff’s Lt. Travis Adams told the station.
It’s unclear how long Rosa had been inside the home, but detectives don’t believe the homeowner gave him any warning before shooting. The homeowner called 911 and told dispatchers he had just killed someone who broke into his home, Adams said.
“Certainly he had an opportunity to call law enforcement at that time,” Adams said. “And we’ve contacted our local prosecutor, explained the circumstances to him, and he agrees that second-degree murder was an appropriate charge in this case.”
Detectives told the station they don’t believe Rosa was armed at the time of the shooting.
Messages seeking additional comment from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office were not immediately returned Monday. Adams told iFIBER ONE News Radio that the homeowner will be identified when he’s formally charged in Mason County Superior Court on Monday.