Boy, 14, Watching Over Siblings Shoots Armed Intruder

Deborah Stocks, KNXV, Reporting, Courtesy CNN

PHOENIX, Arizona — Authorities say a man is expected to recover after he was shot by a 14-year-old boy Friday.

Phoenix police Officer James Holmes said the teen was home with his 8, 10 and 12-year-old siblings when a woman started knocking on the door.

The 14-year-old did not recognize her so he didn’t answer the door at the home near 55th Avenue and Baseline Road.

A short time later a man started knocking on the door and again the boy refused to answer the door.

Holmes said the youngster then went upstairs with his siblings and retrieved a handgun.

As the boy returned to the top of the stairs, the man broke through the door and pointed a gun at him.

The boy fired his weapon, striking the suspect.

The 14-year-old called his parents and ran with his siblings to a neighbor’s home.

The man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, according to Holmes. On Saturday, Holmes said the suspect’s injuries were not life-threatening and he could be released from the hospital in a week or so.

The suspect will be booked into jail once he is released from the hospital. His name has not been released.

Neighbors supported the boy.

“It’s a good thing that he pulled the trigger, that his dad taught him what to do. I give him a lot of props for it,” neighbor, Michael Silvas said.