Hemet home intruder fatally shot by armed family member

HEMET — A man who allegedly broke into a residence in the unincorporated area of East Hemet just after midnight Wednesday, June 26, was fatally shot by an armed family member, according to sheriff’s officials. Some witnesses have since claimed the deceased man was intoxicated and had been causing a disturbance on the street where the shooting occurred and officials are now trying to piece together exactly what led to the fatal shooting.

Yesterday morning’s deadly shooting was the second shooting investigated this month by Hemet Sheriff’s officials to potentially be determined to have been in self defense. The first shooting, which occurred just two weeks ago when a man allegedly attacked another man with a rock inside the victim’s trailer parked within the residential section of the Lake Hemet Campground, happened June 12.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Domenigoni rollover crash kills Hemet man, 50

Man caught having sex with girl inside car at Menifee park

San Jacinto victim, 59, ID’d after Aguanga motorcycle crash

Sage missing person case now a murder investigation – One in custody

Deputies from the Hemet Station and surrounding areas responded to a burglary in progress at a private residence in the 26000 block of Plymouth St at 12:02 a.m., Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit Sgt. Rick Espinoza later reported. Numerous deputies converged on the home and soon had cordoned off the street and neighborhood where the shooting happened.

Based on the circumstances, investigators from the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded to the home and assumed the investigation. They were assisted by technicians from the department’s Forensic Services Bureau, Coroner members, and other officials, who could be seen searching for and collecting potential evidence and interviewing area residents throughout the remainder of the morning.

“A suspect broke into the residence, which was occupied by a family,” Espinoza later explained. “The suspect was confronted by an armed home owner and a shooting occurred, which resulted in the death of the suspect.”

“There were no injuries sustained by the residents of the home, and there are no outstanding suspects or threats to public safety,” the Sgt. continued.

Based on their initial investigation, officials determined the homeowner had possibly acted in self-defense and Espinoza later reported, “No arrests have been made at this time and the deceased suspect’s name will not be released at this time pending the ongoing investigation.”

Within hours of the fatal shooting, as deputies, investigators, and other officials were still arriving at the scene, some witnesses who live in the neighborhood claimed the man killed in the early morning shooting was intoxicated and had been creating a disturbance on the street just before the deadly confrontation inside the victim’s home.

In a live-stream video, which was shared to Facebook but later removed by the original poster, several people who reside on Plymouth St. could be heard discussing the shooting, with some claiming the man who was shot had been drunk and wandering up and down the street “lost and looking for his friend’s home” before the fatal incident.

At least one neighbor on the live-stream video claimed the deceased man had attempted to enter their home and had to be chased away by family members, just a few minutes before they heard gunshots ring out at the home where the shooting happened.

SEE SIMILAR: Lake Hemet shooter was fending off rock attack, “acted in self-defense”

According to Espinoza, the sheriff’s investigation is active and ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Central Homicide Investigator Vasquez at (760) 393-3529 or (951) 955-2777. Callers can refer to incident file number D191770001 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

---

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.