Elderly woman shoots and kills intruder then suffers heart attack, won't face charges

In Leavenworth, Kansas, a 74-year old woman shot and killed an intruder in her home, and will not be facing any charges according to authorities.

The shooting occurred a week ago. The 41-year-old male suspect, Ralph Byrd Jr., entered the home of an elderly woman, whom police have not named in reports. In defense of herself and her property, she shot and killed the intruder, using a handgun she'd purchased only a week before. She fired one shot.

On Thursday, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson told The Leavenworth Times that she would not be prosecuted. "For our understanding, she wouldn’t know whether he’s armed or unarmed," he said, "and within the statute that allows her to be able to defend herself and defend her home.”

As police were on the scene investigating at the time of the shooting the woman had a heart attack brough on by the stress of the incident. She survived and was recovering in the hospital last week as police continued investigating.

Just a week before this incident in nearby Independence Kansas, an intruder was shot but not killed by another homeowner who will not face charges.

"Some of these people are going around breaking into homes, they need to know that there could be an armed homeowner who’s going to defend them self if they get into a situation like this," Independence Police Department Public Information Officer John Syme told KCTV in Kansas after that incident.

Also last week an intruder was shot and killed in Kentucky, and the homeowner will not face charges. Last week, armed homeowner Charles Sweeney shot and killed an intruder, the second time he's shot someone attempting to enter his home. This is a pattern.

The elderly woman in Leavenworth is recovering fine from her heart attack. The intruder is dead.

The homeowner had purchased here handgun only a week before the shooting, because she had been the victim of a separate burlarly. She killed the second invader with a single shot to the head.

Police in Kansas told reporters that these incidents should be "a wakeup call" for these criminals. They're right.