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Shawn Larsen of Clackamas County, Oregon, awoke on August 2nd to find that his bedroom window had been forced open, and that a number of his belongings had been stolen by a stealthy burglar. While searching for clues, he found the pilfered items hidden under his deck.

Surmising that the thief would return later to retrieve the booty, Larsen decided to keep watch. When the culprit did indeed reappear around midnight, the homeowner was waiting--this time with a gun. "I told him to freeze and he wouldn't," Larsen told Portland television station KGW the next day. Feeling threatened, Larsen fired at least two shots, striking Justin Jimmy Hawkins in a shoulder and a leg.

Hawkins fled, but police soon found him after he sought help at a nearby home. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his wounds. Following his release the next morning, he was taken to jail.

KGW reported that, according to police, Hawkins is a transient with an extensive criminal history including at least 17 arrests for crimes ranging from aggravated murder and assault to burglary, robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Oregon law allows homeowners to take reasonable steps to protect themselves against intruders. The would-be victim expressed relief that he had not killed Hawkins, but was also (in the words of KGW) "relieved to know the suspect who broke into his home twice in one day is in jail."