A Vietnam War veteran in Los Angeles reportedly broke both of his legs before fatally shooting a naked intruder who burst into his neighbor’s home early Friday morning.
The encounter unfolded near downtown Los Angeles, where police said a 79-year-old man rushed to help a woman being chased by an unclothed man who had forced his way into her residence.
According to Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Warner Castillo, the suspect had driven to the neighborhood, stripped off his clothes, and began yelling before targeting the woman’s home.
Investigators said the man allegedly grabbed several signs from nearby yards before breaking through the woman’s front door.
The commotion drew the attention of the elderly veteran, who lived next door and came outside to intervene.
“He tells the suspect to leave, warns him that he has a gun,” Castillo said. “Grabs the 79-year-old man, lifts him up and throws him on the ground.”
Despite suffering two broken legs in the fall, the veteran continued struggling with the intruder.
“As he’s on the ground, the suspect approaches him and tries to pick him up again,” Castillo added. “The 79-year-old man subsequently shoots the suspect three times.”
The naked man collapsed on the scene, and police said he was later pronounced dead. Authorities have not yet released his name.
Neighbors described the veteran as a gentle and soft-spoken man who had lived in the area for years.
“He is a very nice man. He is very sweet, very kind, gentle,” one local resident told KLTV. “To hear he shot somebody would be out of self-defense.”
Police said the woman who was targeted in the break-in is the veteran’s tenant and was home alone at the time of the attack. She was not injured.
Authorities confirmed that the veteran, referred to by some residents as George, fired two to three rounds at the suspect before collapsing himself.
He was taken to a local hospital and underwent surgery for his injuries.
Another neighbor told FOX 11 that the same man may have attempted to break into other homes in the area earlier in the week.
KTTV reported that police have not yet determined a motive, and the suspect’s identity remains undisclosed.
One nearby resident described the early morning chaos. “I heard commotion, like a lady yelling,” a woman told KABC.
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“Then I looked over, and it was a naked guy. At first I thought it was just like, maybe it’s a house fire. Like, why is he out here naked?”
While investigators in Los Angeles continued piecing together the events of the bizarre intrusion, a separate deadly confrontation unfolded hundreds of miles north in Medford, Oregon.
Police there said officers were called to a shooting on Hawthorne Street just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to Medford police, a man inside his apartment heard a violent disturbance outside his window.
When he looked out, he saw an unknown male trying to force his way into the home of an elderly resident nearby.
The neighbor armed himself with a handgun and ran to help. Once inside the other apartment, officers said he saw the intruder assaulting the elderly occupant.
During the scuffle, the neighbor fired multiple shots at the suspect, killing him at the scene.
Authorities identified the deceased intruder as 32-year-old Martin Uriel Jimenez of Medford.
The man who fired the shots was detained for questioning and is cooperating with investigators, police said.
Detectives noted that no arrests have been made and that the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office will review the case.
“As is standard protocol in all investigations where deadly force was used and resulted in death, the case will be presented to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for review,” police said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, a jury has convicted a 65-year-old man accused of attacking his elderly landlord with a wooden plank and then attempting to wash away the evidence.
Prosecutors in Elbert County said Daniel Fougner was found guilty Friday of felony assault on an at-risk person and felony tampering with evidence following a brutal altercation that took place outside a Parker residence in October 2024.
According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Fougner had been temporarily staying with the victim, an 80-year-old man who was 15 years older than him.
The pair began arguing over money Fougner owed. During the dispute, prosecutors said, Fougner grabbed a two-by-four and struck the landlord twice in the head.
The attack caused a subdural hematoma, or brain bleed, that doctors testified could have been fatal.
Authorities said Fougner appeared aware of the seriousness of his actions, as he then “used a garden hose to wash the victim’s blood off the driveway before fleeing the scene.”
Police tracked him down in Castle Rock, roughly 13 miles south of Parker, where he was taken into custody.
The injured landlord was rushed to AdventHealth Hospital in Parker and admitted to the intensive care unit. He is expected to survive, officials said.
“This was a vicious and deliberate attack on an elderly man who could have easily died from his injuries,” Deputy District Attorney Joe Ratner remarked.
“After beating [the victim], the defendant tried to wash away the evidence and flee. The jury saw through that and delivered justice.”
Fougner’s sentencing is scheduled for December 1.
