Texas homeowner shoots and kills man trying to steal his car, police say

Texas police said that a homeowner shot and killed a man he found breaking into his car on Tuesday morning.

San Antonio police said they were called to the home at an apartment complex on the 8200 block of Micron Drive near Culebra Road at about 3:50 a.m. for reports of a shooting.

They found a man dead from gunshot wounds when they arrived at the residence at Oxford & Estonia Apartments.

KSAT-TV reported that the man ran from the scene but collapsed nearby and died.

The homeowner told police that he was getting ready for work when he noticed lights and a person near his car. When the man started to drive away in the car, the homeowner fired and struck the man several times.

Police said that the homeowner was not yet facing any charges for the incident. He was only described as a man in his fifties. The man reportedly told police that the incident had been the third time someone had tried to steal his vehicle.

Jerry Bernal lives in the neighborhood and told KENS-TV that property crime had been increasing in the area.

"We had lots of vehicles broken into," he said. "Sometimes the cars get off left on blocks or take their wheels or whatever, but that's just about mostly thefts. I guess it was bound to happen. I mean, there's been so many break ins."

Another resident in the apartments said that he heard the shooting.

"Somehow I feel like I woke up right before I heard it. And it sounded to me like a firecracker. But it sounded very close to my apartment," said Mike Long, who had lived in the complex for three years.

"It's a nice complex, it's a quiet complex, every neighbor has had patio furniture was stolen a few months ago, so, you know, things happen," he added.

Neighbors said that the gate at the complex had been broken for months and that allowed criminals to have open access to the apartments.

The deceased suspect was only identified as a man in his forties.

KSAT reported that there was a lot of blood at the scene and that police had recovered several bullet casings.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

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