Contra Costa County, California

From the May 8, 2006 Contra Costa Times:

A man accidentally slashed his own face with a knife while confronting a burglary suspect Saturday, then shot the intruder as he ran away, police said.

"When officers arrived, they found the suspect laying in the eastbound lane" of Ohio Avenue, police Lt. Alec Griffin said today. "Both the suspect and the victim were seriously injured."

The trouble started about 5:20 p.m., when police say 18-year-old Brandon Winn pried the screen off a bathroom window on the 4400 block of Ohio Avenue and climbed inside.

There, Winn encountered a resident, 33-year-old Ron Gardner.

"As soon as he gets into the house, the victim sees him and bum-rushes him," detective Sgt. Mitch Peixoto said. "At some point during the struggle, a gun pops out and falls into the bathtub."

Neither man claims ownership of the handgun, Peixoto said.

The fight migrated to the kitchen, where police say Gardner selected a large knife, brandished it dramatically and, during the fight, opened a large gash on the right side of his face.

Winn saw an opening and jumped through the kitchen window and began running up the street.

While Winn ran, Gardner picked up the handgun in the bathroom, ran out the front door and fired two rounds after Winn. One struck a van, the other passed through Winn's left thigh.

Several neighbors called police regarding the shooting. Both men were flown to local hospitals, where police say they remained Monday.

Detectives plan to consult the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office before deciding whom to arrest on suspicion of which charges.

It's almost comic. Neither will admit to owning the gun. I'm going to guess that both of them have felony convictions.