Smyrna, Delaware

From Wilmington’s DelawareOnline.com of February 15, 2005

Burglary suspect shot near Smyrna

A burglary suspect, already wanted on drug and weapons charges, was shot in the face while trying to stab a Smyrna-area resident and his neighbor, police said Monday.

The incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. Sunday outside a house on Cathleen Drive in Burtonwood Village, south of Smyrna.

A 58-year-old man saw a stranger inside the shed next door and armed himself with a .38-caliber revolver before going to alert his neighbor, said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham.

The neighbor and the resident, who is 43, went to the shed and were confronted by the intruder, who was armed with a knife, Oldham said.

As the suspect lunged toward the men, the resident tried to close the shed door to protect himself, but caught the suspect in the doorway, Oldham said.

With his upper body outside the door, the intruder kept jabbing the knife at the men, Oldham said. They told the man repeatedly to drop the knife, but he kept trying to stab them, Oldham said.

The neighbor then fired his gun once, hitting the intruder in the face, Oldham said. The resident and neighbor both stayed with the suspect until state police and medical personnel arrived, he said. They were not injured.

The suspect - identified by police as James P. Porter, 26, of Holly Hills Estates, Smyrna - was flown to Christiana Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition.

"No charges [have been] filed against the neighbor at this time," Oldham said.

Porter faces charges including attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and two counts of aggravated menacing. Police said Porter already was wanted on drug and weapons charges.