SAN ANTONIO – Fearing for his life, a South Side homeowner shot and wounded a burglary suspect early Friday morning.
James Dodd, 49, said that he and his wife heard noises coming from a storage shed behind their home. Armed with a rifle, Dodd stepped outside to investigate.
Dodd surprised three men who were loading a compressor and some tools into a pickup truck.
“When he confronted them as they were about to take his property ... they came at him aggressively, so in self-defense he fired several shots,” said San Antonio police Sgt. Jesse Salame.
The suspects sped away in a truck and later showed up at downtown Baptist Memorial Hospital for treatment.
One of the men had gunshot wounds in his chest and legs. He was transferred, under guard, to University Hospital. The other two men were placed under arrest.
“We’re charging three people – including the one that was shot – with burglary of a vehicle,” Salame said.
“What I did was nothing to celebrate. I was just protecting what was mine,” Dodd said.
No charges have been filed against Dodd.
“At this point, it appears that the shooting was justified,” Salame said. “He was protecting his property and did feel threatened at some point.”