Lake Elsinore Resident Recounts Terrifying Ordeal Involving Alleged Intruder

LAKE ELSINORE (CBSLA.com) — A Lake Elsinore family took matters into their own hands when they say an intruder tried to force his way into their home on Sunday.

The incident unfolded about 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 5, in the 100 block of South Torn Ranch Road, according to a written statement posted on the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's website.

The resident, who remained unidentified, told CBS2's Tom Wait that her 8-year-old was home when the suspect attempted to break into their home.

The couple says their dog started barking and they heard noises and realized that the man was kicking open their back fence.

They then say he made his way to the back of the house.

"I told my husband, 'Get up,'" she said.

As the man attempted to break down their back door, the resident says she dialed 911.

He then made his way to a side window after being unable to break through the double pane glass, reported Wait.

"He was bashing his foot into the windows and finally he broke a plank. My husband shot a warning shot," she recounted.

She says the man kept yelling threats and was almost through the window.

"He was in the house, you know. And his whole torso was coming in. And that's when my husband shot him," she said.

The unidentified suspect was transported to a hospital where he died. His identity has been withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Meanwhile, the resident says she wants to know why her family was targeted.

"I want to know why we were targeted. Why he picked us. He wasn't there to rob us. He was there to hurt us," she said. "I asked the cops to try and find out. You know, 'cause I want to know. Just closure."

A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department says the couple is not suspected of any wrongdoing. Wait said that it is believed, at this point, that they were simply trying to defend themselves.