Vietnam Vet Shoots Suspect Who Drilled Hole Through Door to Break Into SF Home

A burglary suspect was shot by a 73-year-old veteran during a struggle after he allegedly broke into the man’s Sunset District home through a large hole drilled into the front door.

More details have emerged in the shooting of an alleged burglar in the Sunset early Saturday. A 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran told KPIX he was asleep on the third floor when he was jolted awake by noises coming from downstairs. He grabbed his handgun and went to investigate, encountering the intruder on the second floor.

The alleged burglar was dressed in black, wearing a hoodie and face mask, and he had a roughly 60-pound husky with him. The veteran said the two struggled, with the intruder grabbing him and knocking him onto his hands and knees before he fired one shot.

“I believe I hit him somewhere here, somewhere in the buttocks,” the veteran told KPIX.

As KPIX reports, the veteran said he suffered minor scrapes to his hands and knees in the confrontation. The suspected burglar then fled the home, leaving his dog behind. Blood-stained shoe prints reportedly showed that he ran in the direction of Golden Gate Park, while a neighbor’s security camera captured the dog barking repeatedly after being abandoned.

The veteran said the intruder accessed the home by drilling a large hole through the wooden, first-floor door to reach the lock and force his way inside.

He also said he believed the intruder had been casing the neighborhood beforehand. Surveillance footage obtained by KPIX showed the man walking back and forth along 22nd Avenue near Lincoln Way roughly 40 minutes before the break-in.

San Francisco police later said they detained an injured man about three miles away, near Geary Boulevard and 47th Avenue in the Outer Richmond. Paramedics took him to San Francisco General Hospital, where police said he was recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Police told KPIX they would take the man into custody if they confirm he was the suspect, and he could face burglary and other charges.

The incident left the veteran shaken, but he said he was grateful he wasn't seriously injured. His next-door neighbor, Michael, said the veteran had a reputation for looking out for others.

“Our neighbor is really something special,” Michael said, speaking to KPIX. “He’s definitely got a heroic side to him. He’s a real, true vet.”

Previously: SFPD Says Saturday Morning Shooting Incidents in Sunset, Richmond May Be Related