http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cop-shoots-intruder-0821-20100821,0,4359808.storyAn off-duty Chicago police officer shot and killed a man who broke into his South Side home Friday morning, police said. The intruder, who police said was armed, had not been identified as of late Friday.
The officer thought he heard someone breaking into his home in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood and called 911 around 8:45 a.m., then he was confronted by an intruder "with something in his hand," said Wentworth Area Deputy Chief of Patrol Eddie Welch.
The officer, who police did not identify, fired his service weapon several times, killing the intruder, Welch said. The man had gotten into the home in the 5500 block of South Normandy Avenue by kicking in the basement door, Welch said.
A weapon belonging to the intruder was found at the scene, Welch said.
Neighbors watched as police cordoned off the officer's home. They said five or six police officers live on the block and expressed shock that anyone would break into a cop's house.
"I feel safe because we are surrounded by police," said neighbor Delia Garcia, 43.
Neighbors backed the off-duty officer's actions.
"They invaded his home, he did what he had to do," said Linda Gonzalez, 46.
Tribune reporter Caroline Kyungae Smith contributed to this report.
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