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Three burglars entered an Oklahoma home. The owner’s son opened fire with an AR-15, deputies say.

By Ben Guarino March 28 at 2:52 AM

Homeowner's son shoots, kills three intruders

The son of an Oklahoma homeowner shot and killed three intruders March 27. Law enforcement officers described the shootings as an act of self-defense.

Gunfire rang out Monday afternoon in a home in Broken Arrow, an Oklahoma city 15 miles southeast of Tulsa. Three intruders were killed after the son of the homeowner fired a semiautomatic rifle in what local law enforcement officers later described as an act of self-defense, though their investigation remains open.

The intruders — a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old and a man thought to be 18 or 19 — had smashed open the back door of the house, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted to Facebook. Their plan was burglary, authorities said.

They wore gloves, masks and all-black clothes, Wagoner County Deputy Nick Mahoney told Tulsa World. Two of the teenagers were armed, one with a knife and the other with brass knuckles.

The trio reportedly exchanged words with the 23-year-old son of the homeowner, whose name has also not been released. He fired on them with an AR-15, a popular semiautomatic rifle, officials told Fox 23.

The shots seemed to shatter the day like a thunderstorm, one neighbor told CBS affiliate KOTV-TV.

“Upon making entry to the home one of the residents fired a rifle striking all three of the suspects,” the sheriff’s office statement said.

Two of the intruders died inside the kitchen. The other “was able to run to the driveway before succumbing to his injuries,” the statement said.

The homeowner and his son gave formal statements at the sheriff’s office.

Authorities later said the suspected getaway driver, Elizabeth Rodriguez, turned herself in at the Broken Arrow Police Department, the Tulsa World reported. The 21-year-old was arrested on charges of first degree murder, three counts, as well as three counts of burglary. “A person who is committing a felony when a death occurs can be charged with felony murder,” Tulsa World explained.

Several nearby homes had been burglarized in recent weeks, neighbor Leon Simmons told KOTV-TV. Authorities said they could not speculate as to whether this incident was related to the others.

The sheriff’s deputy described the shooting as an abnormal occurrence in the typically quiet Wagoner County. “This is very, very unusual for us. It’s not something we’re used to,” he told Tulsa World. “It’s not something we normally have.”

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IME
Oklahoma home invasion shooting: Suspected getaway driver arrested
Published March 28, 2017

Home invader suspects shot, killed; getaway driver arrested

The woman accused of acting as the getaway driver for three would-be burglars shot and killed by a homeowner's son in Oklahoma was arrested, law enforcement officials announced late Monday.

More details also emerged about the moments leading up to the gunshots. Two of the three who broke in through a glass door in the back of the house were armed: one with a knife and one with brass knuckles, according to investigators in Broken Arrow.

The suspected getaway driver, 21-year-old Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, turned herself in hours after the shooting, Fox 25 reported. She was booked in the Wagoner County jail on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree burglary.


The would-be burglars had "a short exchange of words" with the homeowner's 23-year-old son before he shot them with a rifle, Wagoner County Deputy Nick Mahoney said. Some reports indicted the rifle was an AR-15.

Mahoney did not name the intruders, but said they were between 16 and 18 years old. The homeowner and his son were not hurt.

The unnamed shooter has not been charged, and Mahoney said he appeared to be acting in self-defense -- but investigators said more charges could be coming. The homeowner's son voluntarily gave a statement to sheriff's investigators.

The intruders were wearing black clothes, gloves and masks when they forced their way in, waking up the son, Mahoney added. He said there was no reason to believe the son knew the intruders.

Two of the three died in the kitchen and the third made it out to the driveway before he collapsed, according to investigators.

No bond was set for Rodriguez, KOTV reported.

People in the neighborhood had reported more break-ins in recent months. "Within the past six months we've had two or three burglaries out here," neighbor Leon Simmons told Fox 25.

The neighborhood is in an unincorporated part of the county about 20 miles southeast of Tulsa.

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The shots seemed to shatter the day like a thunderstorm,

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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The shots seemed to shatter the day like a thunderstorm,

BS the shots were fired inside the house they would been very muffled to any body out side.


It would seem that a lot more crimes have prevented.

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Killing of 3 teens during burglary may test Oklahoma 'stand your ground' law

Three teen burglary suspects were shot and killed Monday by a homeowner's son armed with an assault rifle in Oklahoma -- which has a "stand your ground" law -- and the alleged getaway driver in the case was arrested on felony murder and other charges, authorities said.

Authorities said they had not determined if the shooter, who was armed with an AR-15, would face charges. Oklahoma law presumes homeowners have a fear that justifies use of defensive force just by virtue of someone breaking into a home.

A decision on charges for the shooter as well as formal charges for the alleged getaway driver, would be determined in the coming days, prosecutors said.

“And at that time, there’ll be a final decision -- I know there’s questions that have been posed regarding Stand Your Ground law as well as the application of the felony murder rule," said first assistant district attorney Jack Thorp. "We hope to be able to answer those questions with our formal filing decision when we reach that decision.”

According to Deputy Nick Mahoney of the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office, deputies got a call around 12:30 p.m. Monday about a possible home invasion with shots fired.

Today, Chief Deputy Les Young identified the 911 caller as Zach Peters, the son of the homeowner. They said he told the dispatcher that people had entered his home and that he'd discharged his weapon.

Mahoney said that when police arrived, they found three deceased male teenagers, ranging in age from 16-18.

Two were in the kitchen area of the house, Mahoney said; one appeared to have run from the home after being shot but had died in the driveway.

"These three individuals came to this residence, which we believe, with the intent to break in, to burglarize the home," he said.

Mahoney said the males were dressed in black, wearing masks and gloves, when they allegedly forced their way through a glass backdoor. He said, there, the three allegedly encountered Peters, who was armed with a rifle. Police said today that multiple shots were fired.

Mahoney said Peters and his father, the homeowner, were in the home at the time but were not hurt. Police said Peters went to the Sheriff's Office and was interviewed by investigators.

Mahoney said two of the deceased were considered armed. One had brass knuckles, he said. Another had a knife. Mahoney said the third suspect had not yet been searched by police.

Police with the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office said today they'd arrested an alleged getaway driver who they identified as Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez.

Mahoney said that Rodriguez, 21, had turned herself in to authorities after the shooting, allegedly saying that she had information about the incident. He said she was interviewed and taken into custody. Police said today that Rodriguez had identified the three dead males in the house.

Rodriguez was arrested on three counts of felony first degree murder (for deaths that occur during the commission of a felony), one count of first degree burglary and one count of second degree burglary. Police said the last count was because the four had allegedly gone to the same home earlier in the day and then returned. She has yet to be formally charged.

Mahoney said he did not know whether Rodriguez had dropped the suspects off at the home or had planned to pick them up. Police said that the investigation was ongoing and that they did not know whether the burglary was random. They would not release the names of the three killed until they contacted relatives.

Rodriguez was scheduled to appear in court April 5.

ABC News' Rachel Humphries contributed to this story.

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U.S.
Woman Arrested in 'Make My Day' Home Invasion Case Has 'a Lot of Regrets,' Defends Shooter


The 21-year-old getaway driver in the Oklahoma home invasion shooting that resulted in three deaths collapsed into tears as she spoke out about the break-in gone wrong.

Elizabeth Rodriguez spoke to Inside Edition from an Oklahoma jail, where she admitted her role in the crime.

Rodriguez' boyfriend, Max Cook, and friends Jacob Redfern and Jake Woodruff were all killed when the homeowner's son, Zach Peters, opened fire with an assault rifle.

She recalled: "I heard the gunshots and I waited and I waited, waiting for them and then Jake came out. I seen him by the gate and he slid across my car. All I could hear him say was, 'I got hit.' He fell down in the driveway."

Rodriguez sped off but surrendered to police just hours later. She revealed that there was somebody else in the car with her who is believed to be a 15-year-old girl.

"I took her where I knew she could be safe," Rodriguez said.

She says she and the three teens committed several carjackings and home invasions together.

"I guess we kind of got used to not getting caught. We made bad choices," she said.

While Zach Peters has been praised by many for defending his home, Elizabeth Rodriguez has been charged with murdering the three teens and could face the death penalty.

Under Oklahoma law, if someone dies while a group commits a felony, all suspects can be charged with murder, even if they did not actually kill the person.

“I understand legally why they are charging me, but did I kill them? Did I murder them? No, I don't believe I did at all. I tried to help them," she said.

She also agrees that Peters had every right to use deadly force.

"I don't think that Zach Peters murdered them," she said. "Zach had every right to. I understanding of why he did what he did. He was protecting his home. That's his right. We all knew what could happen. We all knew the risk."

Rodriguez has three children between the ages of seven months and two years, but won't confirm reports that she is pregnant. She says she's hoping the families of the dead teens will forgive her.

She said she has "a lot of regrets" for what she has done.

Under Oklahoma law if someone dies during the commission of a felony, all suspects can be charged with murder even if they did not actually kill someone.