A Grand Terrace man shot two men who broke into his home Tuesday night, one of whom later was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The break-in was reported to police just after 9:15 p.m., and when they arrived at the home in the 23000 block of Grand Terrace Road, the resident, whose identity has not been released, told officers that multiple people broke into his home, prompting him to grab his gun, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
“In fear for his safety and in self-defense, the victim fired rounds at the suspects and the suspects fled the location in a white sedan,” the release said.
Law enforcement officers located the alleged culprits within an hour after two people with gunshot wounds were reported to authorities.
About 10 to 15 minutes after the break-in, deputies responded to a 76 gas station on Redlands Boulevard in Loma Linda, where they found a man who had been shot and a 15-year-old boy.
The man was found lying on the ground, and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The teen was detained after “deputies determined the decedent and the juvenile were involved in the residential robbery,” officials said.
The third man was located at about 10:05 p.m., when San Bernardino Police Department officers were alerted to a gunshot victim at a local hospital.
That man, Marquez Jackson, underwent surgery for his wounds and remains hospitalized, though he “will be booked for robbery and murder upon his discharge from the hospital,” the SBSD said.
The teen, who also faces robbery and murder charges, was booked into Juvenile Hall.
A fourth person remains on the loose, and anyone with information is asked to call 909-890-4904.
The victim’s family released a statement, saying in part:
“Home is where we should all feel the safest, and having that sense of security shattered when we least expected it is something no family should have to experience. This incident has been a painful reminder of how vulnerable we all can be to random criminal behavior, and how important it is to take proactive steps to safeguard our homes.
While we are still working closely with local authorities and processing what happened, we hope sharing our story encourages others to review their own home security — from making sure doors and windows are locked at all times to updating alarm security systems, adding outdoor lighting, installing strategic video cameras, and staying alert to suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. By protecting our own homes well, we collectively, as a community, make our communities safer for all of our families. It is also very important that everyone in the home, both adults and children, are aware of home security plans in the event of a home invasion, so the family unit is all on the same page regarding their roles and duties during such an attack.
We strongly encourage everyone to stay vigilant and to look out for one another. Home invasions might seem unlikely and far-fetched, but this experience has been a sobering reminder that crime can happen at any time, and self-defense preparation is truly a life-saving tactic to protect our loved ones against home invasions. We appreciate your efforts to help raise awareness, and we hope this message helps others avoid going through what our family has endured.
As we continue to process the events of this invasion on our home, we just ask for privacy as we work with local authorities to deal with this event.”
To report information anonymously, call WeTip at 800-78-CRIME or visit wetip.com.
