WA state homeowner shoots and kills home intruder: 'I have the right to carry and I have the right to protect myself'

A homeowner shot and killed one of two intruders in Spanaway, Washington, on Thursday morning.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Darren Moss said that police received a call at about 4:20 a.m. from the homeowner about an attempted burglary.

The homeowner told the dispatcher that two men kicked down his back door trying to get into his home. He told them that he had fired at the two suspects.

When police arrived at the home they found a 24-year-old man deceased on the homeowner's front yard from a gunshot wound.

The homeowner, Jeremy Smith, spoke to KING-TV about the incident.

"I took action upon that, which was, unfortunately taking one life, and the other one ran," said Smith.

"You get to talk about it a lot with your friends, or you get to talk about it with your family, and go, yeah we all carry, but you know, or this is what I would do, or this is what you would do, but it's way different when it actually happens," he explained.

Officials are investigating the incident as a homicide, but may find that the homeowner was acting in self-defense. No arrests have been made yet, and they are seeking the second suspect in the incident.

Smith says he was justified in defending himself and his family.

"I have the right to carry, and I have the right to protect myself, and I have the right to protect my property," he added. "I don't know what they wanted out of this house, I don't know what they were doing, but I don't care."

Here's the local news report about the lethal shooting:

Homeowner opens fire on burglars in Spanaway, killing one, second suspect at largewww.youtube.com