An Oklahoma man defended himself and his home against three armed intruders with an AR-15 rifle on Monday.
The 23-year-old son of the homeowner woke up to the sounds of loud banging on the home's back door. Three intruders between the ages of 16 and 18 had managed to break through that glass door and were entering the home. They were armed with a variety of weapons.
"These three individuals came to this residence with the intent to burglarize it," Wagoner County Sheriff's Deputy Nick Mahoney told News on 6. "One was with brass knuckles, the other one was with a knife. They were masked at the time, all had gloves on.
"They entered in through a black door, shattering the back door and they entered into the residence."
That's when the 23-year-old armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and headed toward the back door. He confronted the masked intruders in the kitchen area of the home.
"Armed with a rifle, there were some shots fired, and, at this point, three people are deceased," Mahoney told the news station.
The three intruders were all killed but a fourth accomplice fled the scene. She later turned herself into police, however, and is now facing three charges of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary for her role in the home invasion. There are no reports indicating the 23-year-old was injured.
A neighbor said the ordeal sounded like a thunderstorm from down the street. "Well, I thought it was thunder," Leon Simmons told KTUL. "I just heard something. I had the doors closed."
He said the neighborhood had seen a rash of burglaries recently. "Within the past six months we've had two or three burglaries out here," Simmons told KTUL.
Police said that this burglary may be related to the others in the area but more investigation is required to know for sure. As for the shooting, police believe it was an act of self-defense.
"Preliminary investigation, it looks like it was self-defense," Mahoney told KTUL.