Brooklyn, New York



From the New York Daily News of December 29, 2003

B'klyn man kills intruder



A Brooklyn man shot dead a would-be robber who had burst into his first-floor Flatbush apartment last night, police said.



"I just shot somebody," the man said in a call to 911, police said.



The 29-year-old intruder, identified by his girlfriend as Fisher Canton, was gunned down about 6:45 p.m. inside the rear bedroom of the apartment on E. 18th St., near Newkirk Ave., police said.



Police were questioning the apartment resident, who was not identified, and trying to determine if his weapon was registered.



They also were sorting out whether Canton, who was shot in the face, was armed or just pretending to carry a weapon.



...



Third-floor tenant David Colling, 54, defended his neighbor's actions.



"It could have happened to me," Colling said. "I guess he did the right thing."



Building resident Harry Bell, 30, a maintenance worker, said his apartment was broken into about a year ago and thieves stole about $2,000 worth of jewelry.



"I guess you got to do what you got to do to protect yourself," he said.