Burlington, Vermont

From August 2, 2005 WPTZ channel 5:

Eyewitnesses said it all started when a man armed with a knife broke into the building and threatened one of the tenants.

One woman -- who was inside the apartment at the time -- said the man refused to leave, so her ex-boyfriend shot him in self defense.

The standoff that followed shut down several streets in the neighborhood while more than a dozen officers surrounded the building to search for weapons or shooters inside.

Danielle Sprano watched said she and her ex-boyfriend, Lucien Perkins, sat inside his apartment when a man he knew barged in with a knife.

"Lucien kept saying 'Get out of my house' repeatedly, and the kid would not get out," said Sprano.

Finally, she said Perkins shot the man in the leg.

"I guess he shot up a warning shot first, I mean, the kid was coming after him with a switchblade -- what do you expect?" said Sprano.