A burglar who was shot to death by the homeowner after crawling into a window in Aurora may have been a homeless man, according to the Adams County coroner’s office.
The intruder did not have identifying documents on him and has not been positively identified, Adams County Coroner James Hibbard said. But several transients identified the intruder as being homeless.
The burglar died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, Hibbard said Wednesday.
The homeowner, identified by neighbors as schoolteacher Lawrence “Larry” Kintz, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Property records also show that Kintz owned the house.
Police still had crime tape around his small home, in the 1700 block of Fulton Street, on Wednesday. Officers who were keeping guard outside the home said the homeowner had not been there all day.
Detectives were investigating the case as a homicide even though there appears to be justification for the shooting, police spokesman Bob Friel said.
Adams County District Attorney Don Quick said Colorado law gives homeowners the right to use deadly force when they are reasonably sure an intruder intends to use physical force against them.
The homeowner fired a 12-gauge shotgun at the burglar after he pulled out an air- conditioning unit and crawled through a window about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Friel said.
Neighbors said that Kintz’s home had been burglarized before and that his car was broken into as well. Police also said the home had been burglarized in the past.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
