Intruder shot during break-in at Gilbert apartment, police say

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — A break-in ended with an alleged intruder being shot at an East Valley apartment early Sunday morning.

Around 4:30 a.m., Gilbert police received reports of “unknown trouble” at an apartment off of the Loop 202 and San Tan Village Parkway. The 911 caller reported that an unknown man broke into their apartment and assaulted one person. Investigators say one tenant opened fire, striking the alleged intruder.

Once officers arrived, they found the suspect seriously hurt, and he was rushed to the hospital. He remains in critical condition, according to police. No residents inside the apartment were hurt.

Gilbert police are continuing to gather additional details regarding the shooting.

“What they want is a high reward and low effort,” said Jeff Welch, the CEO and founder of Grab the Axe, a security company. “Burglaries are big right now.”

Welch said a lot of homeowners and apartment renters are worried about turning into victims.

“We’ve had far more calls in the last six months. In the last two months, residential has gone through the roof, even before the (Nancy) Guthrie case broke,” said Welch.

Welch explained the Guthrie case put the issue of home security front and center.

“Deter. Delay. Detect,” said Welch.

He said, there are simple, inexpensive ways you can help keep intruders out of your home. These ways won’t cost you your deposit if you’re renting.

One step is switching out the small screws on the metal piece on a door’s frame with something stronger.

“What you can do is use a three inch hardened wood screw and put that in. Screw it directly to a 2X4 frame, and it’s going to be extremely diffiult to get through that door at that point,” he said.

Security bars for doors that range from $18 to $40 are also options.

“There’s virutally no way you’re going to get through that. That’s an extremely difficult item to get out of the way if you’re trying to break in,” said Welch.

When it comes to windows, sliding locks are a good idea or magnetic locks that sound an alarm when they are separated.

“The whole idea is to make it annoying, difficult and hard to get in and gives you time to call the police,” said Welch.

He explained that cameras are great for gathering evidence and sometimes scaring intruders off if they’re placed strategically. Inside the house is great.

Welch added that having overlapping cameras and lights that cover all angles of your home is a good technique.

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