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I think you're referring to this point in the OP linked story:

The homeowner said he told the alleged burglar to stop. That's when the alleged burglar dropped the equipment and jumped the fence to an alley. The homeowner said he fired several rounds and hit the man.

But that doesn't provide a timeline, nor a direction of shooting, nor even a distance between the men. That was the point I was trying to make - the info was vague, at best. It's also evidence of sloppy reporting - the attention to detail is quite lacking, and the implied timeline is misleading at a minimum.

ZA

The story I just read says...

Police said the homeowner woke up to his storage shed’s alarm going off. The homeowner, armed with a .45-caliber handgun, went out to his yard. He told police he spotted Johnson leaving the shed with two of his weed eaters, so he fired six times at Johnson, who then jumped the fence and fled, police said.

So, the perp was exiting the shed (not the yard) and homeowner fired. Then the burglar ran. Note this was not the original story I read (which was more vague) but it does reinforce my point.

And, it also provides more clarity on how the rounds went through the fence. He declared to have hit the perp in 3 places, but fired 6 times. Unless he hit the same 3 places multiple times, he missed as many as 3 times.

ZA

I hear your point on ethical vs legal, and I respect that.

How would you feel if he was running "out" with whatever prized possession you store in the shed? How about with your 5' crowbar which is easily useful as a weapon? My guess is the owner was pretty close to the golden LEO 21' distance away from the perp here. Can you make the decision fast enough about your ethical hesitation to save yourself should he decide to step one way vs the other?

I buy my firearms primarily to protect both my family & my property. I don't go looking for opportunities to shoot people. In fact I avoid these scenarios through disciplined awareness, and certainly apply continuous effort to disengage from them when not on my property. But, I wouldn't have an issue shooting / killing someone who was stealing my property, let alone intending to or actually taking action to harm my family. In this case, the burglar made his decision to deprive the victim of his clear ownership rights, and I would make my counterpoint toward such a burglar if the time comes for me.

Let's be clear - burglary is violent. It is a penetrative, dehumanizing violation designed specifically to destroy someone else's life in order to enrich another. When someone is on my property being violent, all quibbling or moral quandries about resolving the encounter via use of a firearm goes right out the door. I will defend what is mine.

ZA

Where is there any indication he was shooting the burglar through the fence?

Correct me if I missed it, but all the home owner said was that he hit the guy 3 times "as he was leaving." It doesn't say how many times he fired, or where from. Any holes in the fence could easily have been made while the burglar was inside the yard, and if the homeowner missed. Heck, depending on how he hit the perp, even a hit may have made the hole(s)

The HOA can take a flying leap. Where were they when he was being burglarized? Where were they the previous occasions when this man AND his neighbors were being victimized. Clearly the HOA has done such a great job of protecting the community that this owner had to invest in his own security with his own money, time, and effort. This guy has been in the neighborhood for 13 years, and through his actions has prevented three burglaries there that we know of. I'd say he's really looking out for the community, and the HOA should be holding a BBQ in his honor instead.

ZA