VANCOUVER, Wash. — Vancouver police arrested a homeowner accused of shooting a man he said was breaking into his car.
The incident happened on the corner of Northeast 148th Avenue and Southeast 1st Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Police said a man was found breaking into someone's car when the car owner shot him multiple times.
The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Neighbors were shaken up Tuesday afternoon and told KGW they've never seen anything like this happen in the neighborhood before.
“There were like six to seven gunshots going off and they were just bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,” said neighbor Julie Engstrom. After she heard those gunshots, she called 911. One of the bullets went through her RV.
“After living here all these years, this is the worst that's ever happened,” she said.
Police said the homeowner, 33-year old Jacob A. Cantrell, also called 911 and reported that he had found a man breaking into his car with a shovel and shot him multiple times in the driveway.
The victim is in the hospital in critical condition. Police haven't said exactly what happened during the altercation, but they arrested Cantrell and charged him with first-degree assault.
“It was kind of surreal this morning,” said Scott Smith, who lives down the street.
“My granddaughter woke up, she heard the bullets and she was terrified,” added Balinda Olive Beltran, whose family lives across the street from where the shooting happened. “My daughter told her to get down, don't stand by the window because this is her bedroom.”
“There's lots of families in this neighborhood. I have children too and I’m only two houses down, so it's a little unsettling,” said Alexandria Harrison.
Cantrell is being held in the Clark County jail.