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Story Created: Dec 31, 2009 at 6:48 PM CST

Story Updated: Dec 31, 2009 at 9:14 PM CST

(December 31, 2009)

There was a home invasion robbery on the south-side that ended with the death of a suspect. Investigators said this may be a justified homicide, saying the resident was defending his family.

Many living in this quiet neighborhood were surprised to hear about this death from the home invasion robbery. It happened inside a home. Within hours of the crime, the residents moved out.

"So it's a little scary things like that happen close by," said Wanda Gonzalez, an area resident.

Around 4:30 am, police said two men with their faces covered armed with guns broke down the front door at this home.

A 24-year-old resident living here with his wife, cousin and a one-year-old daughter woke up and he exchanged gunfire with the suspects. Investigators said 26-year-old Rudy Recio was hit and later died at Spohn Memorial Hospital. The second person fled the scene.

"What we have is at this moment of the investigation is an occupant, a resident, defending his home," said Lt. Isaac Valencia of the Corpus Christi Police Department. "If you apply the Castro document, you have a right to defend your home."

"I'm very surprised, shocked," said an area resident who called herself M.L.. "This is a quiet neighborhood, There's never been any problems and I have been here for four or five years."

After police interviewed the family involved with the home invasion robbery death, they went back home and moved out. Police said the family didn't know the people trying to break into the home. They wouldn't comment about the shooting.

Investigators report most home invasion robberies are related to drug trafficking, but in this case, they found no drugs in the home or drug money inside the residence. So for now, they're calling this a justifiable homicide.

Man killed in Thursday morning home invasion
Intruder was wearing ski mask, rubber gloves, police say

* By Elaine Marsilio
* Posted December 31, 2009 at 9:07 a.m. , updated December 31, 2009 at 5:55 p.m.

CORPUS CHRISTI — A 24-year-old homeowner awakened by intruders kicking in his door shot and killed one of the men, police said.

Two to three men forced their way into the home in the 3200 block of Crestwater Drive about 4:40 a.m., police said.

The homeowner and the men exchanged gunfire, police said. One of the men was shot multiple times and taken to Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial where he died, authorities said. At least one other man fled before police arrived, authorities said.

Police identified the dead man as Rudy Recio, 26, of Corpus Christi.

Preliminary autopsy results from the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the man died of multiple gunshot wounds. The results didn’t state how many times or where the man was wounded, medical examiner office staff said.

A final autopsy report is awaiting toxicology results, which can take three to four weeks.

Lt. Isaac Valencia said Recio was shot in the torso, but police didn’t know how many times or if he was shot in other parts of the body.

Police also didn’t know how many shots were fired by the homeowner or the intruders. Valencia said police recovered the homeowner’s handgun, but no other weapon.

Recio was wearing a ski mask and rubber gloves at the time of the home invasion, police said. The mask and gloves were tagged as evidence, Valencia said.

Recio has no felony record in Nueces County, but has been convicted of misdemeanors, according to online court documents.

Valencia said police don’t know if the men knew each other.

The homeowner, his 23-year-old common-law wife, their 1-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old male cousin of the homeowner were in the home at the time, Valencia said. The homeowner had minor injuries, but the others were uninjured.

stash wrote:Castro Document - That's good- - needed a little laugh this morning.

rcsoar4fun wrote:Gotta love Corpus, where everyone has a deram.

AndyC wrote:After reading that, I think I'll have a wee dram to help with the splutters of laughter