Woman Alone in Home Shoots 2 Intruders Dead

Stock photo of police tape. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

A woman alone in her house in Arizona shot two intruders dead, police said.

Officers with the Tuscon Police Department rushed to a house around 3:45 a.m. on Oct. 16 after getting a call about a shooting on E. Duncan Street.

Officers found two males in the backyard with “obvious signs of gunshot trauma,” the department said in a press release. One of the males, 18-year-old Corey Teixeira, was pronounced dead; the other, later identified as 18-year-old Ali Mohamed, was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, which he later died from.

“Through their initial investigation, detectives learned a resident was asleep when she was alerted to a noise at the rear door of her home. No one else was home at the time. The resident, armed with a handgun, walked to the rear of the home to investigate the noise. The resident found Teixeira and Mohamed forcing entry to the home. A confrontation ensued resulting in the resident firing her weapon at both men,” the department stated.

“The resident then sought help from a neighbor and called 911. The resident was not injured during the confrontation. Details are limited at this time but the attempted break-in does not appear to be a random act.”

In an update, police said detectives confirmed the break-in was not a random act. “It appears to be a drug-related home invasion,” police said.

Tucson police spokesman Officer Frank Magos told the Arizona Republic that the woman was asleep when she was woken up to find the men trying to break in.

“She confronted them, she armed herself with a firearm and shots were fired and that info was relayed to us by 911,” Magos said.

Anyone with information was asked to call the police.

Jay Spencer, who lives in the area, said after hearing about the situation he plans on arming himself.

“I’m definitely going to get a gun to protect myself, too,” Spencer told the Arizona Daily Star. “There’s not enough enforcement, to be honest.”

Spencer said he moved to the area about seven months ago and has already been subject to an attempted home invasion.

He said he called the police but by the time officers arrived, the man had fled.

Other incidents in recent months include a woman nearby having her home broken into, items stolen from a truck, and a cactus stolen from a house, Spencer said.

People had varying reactions on social media.

“Ok so question, was she defending herself or the drugs? On the upside, two violent criminals are off the street and will no longer pose a treat (sic) to anyone,” one wrote.

“Word from teens on social media is spreading that the woman posted on one of her social media accounts that she was going to kill 2 guys. This needs to be investigated,” another said.