Littleton homeowner who shot suspected intruder was off-duty DPD officer

A Littleton homeowner who shot and injured a suspected intruder who broke into his home Friday afternoon was an off-duty Denver Police Department Officer, sources confirmed to Denver7 Friday evening. Littleton Police responded to the home in the 6200 block of South Spotswood Street at 4:35 p.m. and immediately set up a large perimeter in the neighborhood. Police told Denver7's Jaclyn Allen the off-duty police officer was asleep in the basement but awoke to someone breaking-in to his home. The officer reportedly heard noise upstairs and shot the suspect from the base of the stairs. Neighbors were concerned about their safety as word about a possible second suspect spread. “Just want to make sure there is not somebody around we've got to worry about,” said Richard Sisneros, who lives just down the street. “We've got a house full of kids for a birthday part tonight, so this is a little wild.” Police said they were never able to find a second intruder and could only confirm there was one suspect. “When the person had broken into the residence, the homeowner got up, he encountered the suspect at the top of the stairwell and then he ended up shooting him,” said Rick Redmond, spokesman for the Littleton Police Department. The suspected intruder, between 40 and 50-years-old, was taken to a hospital for treatment but was declared dead a few hours later. No other details surrounding the incident have been released, but the off-duty police officer will probably be taken to the police department for questioning, according to police. Police say no arrests have been made and it's not clear if charges will be filed or if the case falls under Colorado's "Make My Day" law. The law allows homeowners to shoot home invaders if they feel their lives -- or the lives of anyone in the house -- are at risk.

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