VERONA, KY (FOX19) – A home intruder has died after being shot by the owner during an attempted burglary.
The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. on Monday when the intruder broke into a home in the 15000 block of Violet Road in Verona. Police say that Earl Jones, 92, was awakened by a noise in the basement and armed himself with a .22 caliber rifle.
Once the suspect entered the home through the basement, Jones shot the suspect in the chest and called his neighbor, who then called 911.
“I aimed for the center of the heart, in the chest,” said Jones. “He fell backwards then down the steps.”
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the outside basement door propped open, but no one other than Jones was present at the residence.
Shortly after the shooting, Kenton County Police responded to a call on Courtney Road of a man who had been shot. They found Lloyd (Adam) Maxwell, 24, of Richmond, and two others in a 2001 Chevrolet Impala. Maxwell was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two uninjured men were taken back to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office where they admitted to being involved in the attempted burglary.
Ryan Dalton, 22, and Donnie Inabnit, 20, both of Dry Ridge, Ky, are charged with Burglary 2nd degree and Tampering with physical evidence.
So far, no charges have been filed against Jones.
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Police say Jones, a World War II veteran, had his home burglarized three separate times between Aug. 14 and Aug. 25.
In the course of investigating those ongoing burglaries, investigators installed a motion activated video camera in the basement of Jones’ home. The video shows one of the intruders entering through a doggie door and removing a 2×4 that was securing the door from being opened. Once that was taken down, the door was opened for the other two.
Justice has been served
