A 54-year-old man was shot to death Saturday by the owner of the home in which he lived, in an incident Denver police say may have been an act of self-defense.
An argument between the two at 5545 Xanadu St. led to the shooting at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, according to a police statement.
The homeowner, whom police have not identified, “has been released pending a review of the facts and a determination of what charges, if any, will be filed by the Denver district attorney’s office,” the statement said.
Police arrived at the home after the incident was reported and found the wounded man, who later was pronounced dead at Denver Health Medical Center.
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending an autopsy and notification of next of kin.
Denver property records show the home is owned by Leroy and Virginia Young.
Ed Romero, 76, a neighbor, said he didn’t know the homeowner’s name. But he said the dead man, whose first name is Leroy, was the son of the woman who lived in the house.
The dead man had lived in the house, a single-story brick ranch, for at least a year, Romero said.
Romero said the dead man abused the two older occupants, threatening to beat them up.
Thelma Brooks, who lives across the street from the home, said police came to her house after the shooting.
“The police were banging on my door sometime during the midnight hour and told me that one of my neighbors had been killed,” she said.
She said the home was normally quiet.
“They never gave me no problem, so I don’t have nothing to say about it,” she said.
