Elderly Homeowner Shoots Invasion Suspect Dead

Chicago - An elderly Chicago man shot and killed a home invader early Wednesday in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. The man's wife and great-grandson were sleeping inside and were not hurt.

At 5:22 a.m., an armed suspect entered a residence at 623 N. Sawyer Ave. -- the home of a man and woman in their early 80s. Their 13-year-old great-grandson was sleeping inside.

When the suspect broke into the residence, he awakened the homeowner who then confronted the suspect, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said. The elderly man shot the suspect in the chest.

A spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death of a man from the Sawyer address but had no further information immediately.

The suspect was a man in his 30s, Mirabelli said. Two weapons were recovered from the scene, Mirabelli said.

On Wednesday, Drew Peterson's lead attorney Joel Brodsky told a crime blog that he'd be happy to represent the homeowner for free, if the man is charged with violating Chicago's gun ban.

"Self defense isn’t just a right, it’s a duty," Brodsky told CrimeFileNews.com . "If this man is prosecuted for saving his own life it’s not just a travesty, its justice turned inside out."

Update: No charges expected against homeowner