Alleged armed intruder shot in home invasion by resident

An alleged home invasion ended as quickly as it began early Sunday when the reportedly armed intruder was shot and critically injured by a resident of the home moments after entering the house.

Hot Springs police said in a news release Monday that officers responded to 405 Alcorn St., Apt. 5, in reference to a possible aggravated residential burglary. An incident report listed the time as 8:47 a.m.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with a resident who stated an unknown person had gained entry to his apartment with a gun in an apparent robbery attempt, the release said. As the suspect entered the apartment, he was shot one time.

Officers rendered first aid to the suspect until medical personnel arrived. The suspect was initially listed in critical condition Sunday, but was reportedly in stable condition at a local hospital on Monday, the release said. The owner of the residence told

The Sentinel-Record on Sunday that the tenant that was renting the home from him was not there at the time of the incident, but a friend of the tenant who had been staying there was present and shot the intruder.

The landlord said police told him they thought the suspect “was after something and came to the wrong address by mistake.” He said the tenant sometimes left the front door open to cool the house when it got too hot from the space heaters going and he speculated the door might have been open and the suspect saw it and thought it might be an easy target.

He said there were four young children in the living room when the suspect entered and the tenant’s friend was in another part of the house and heard the man “yelling at the kids.” He said he grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and went out to confront the man and shot him, noting he thought the suspect was hit “in the neck area.”

“He was just inside the front door in the living room,” he said, noting there was “quite a bit” of blood on the floor.

The landlord said the tenant’s friend was just defending himself and protecting the kids and “I can’t imagine they would charge him with anything.”