MAN SHOT IN INVASION OF HOME, INVESTIGATORS SAY

3 other men suspected in intrusion are being sought, detectives say.

UNION TWP., MIAMI COUNTY – A 25-year-old Dayton man was shot in the abdomen and leg during what investigators are calling a narcotics-related home invasion late Thursday in rural Miami County.

Three other intruders with the 25-year-old were being sought Friday by sheriff ’s detectives.

Intruders can be seen on a surveillance video at the North Montgomery County Line Road residence, charging toward the front door.

Once inside, shots were fired by both the homeowner and the intruders, according to the homeowner’s call to 911 and sheriff ’s Chief Deputy David Duchak. Who shot first and how many shots were fired had not been determined.

Duchak emphasized investigators do not see the home invasion as random.

“We believe it was a targeted invasion that was narcotics related,” he said.

He said it had not been determined if the intruders and the homeowner knew each other.

The man shot was taken to the hospital by CareFlight and underwent surgeries. He was expected to survive, said Duchak, who declined to provide the injured man’s name and disclose the hospital where he was being treated.

“They kicked in my door and shot at me,” the homeowner told a dispatcher at the Miami County Communication Center shortly after 11 p.m.

While talking to the dispatcher, the homeowner asked questions of the injured man as he was lying in a ditch near the road.

The injured man had fled and was found by the homeowner and a neighbor after the three other intruders had fled by car.

“Was it worth it?” the homeowner could be heard on the 911 recording asking the injured man.

Nothing was taken from the home.

The intruders face charges that could include felonious assault, aggravated robbery and possibly attempted murder, Duchak said. Investigators were consulting with prosecutors.

The circumstances of the shooting and the homeowner still were being explored.

“Based on preliminary evidence, we do believe he was acting in self-defense,” Duchak said of the homeowner.