Intruder killed by homeowner
Couple 'pretty shook up' over shooting
By Jennifer Dobner, Deseret News staff writer
May 22, 2000
SALT LAKE CITY - Mike Kooyman didn't sleep much Sunday night. Instead, he was keeping
watch over his
parents.
"They're pretty shook up, they've been in tears," Kooyman said. "My dad
came in to me
at about 3 a.m. and said, 'Son, I killed a man.'"
Kooyman's father shot and killed an intruder in the couple's West Central City home
about 2:45 a.m. Sunday. The intruder, who remained unidentified Monday morning, pounded
on a sliding glass door until it broke and then entered the home, Salt Lake Police Lt. Jim
Jensen said.
"From what my dad told me (the intruder) looked at my dad with death in his eyes
and
said 'Adios, amigos'; they were terrified," Kooyman said. "My dad fired a couple
of shots to
the side as a warning, but he came at them violently."
Kooyman's parents, who do not share the same last name as their six children, have
asked that their names not be used in the paper. Police have confiscated the man's
.40-caliber handgun that was used in the shooting.
Just before the man broke into the home, the couple was awakened by their barking
dog. They called police and yelled at the man to leave, but he still entered the home,
police
said.
The intruder was hit by one bullet and pronounced dead at LDS Hospital, Jensen said.
The dead man had been tentatively identified by police Monday morning, but his name was
not being released pending that verification, Lt. Jim Hill said. The homeowners told
police
they did not recognize the man.
Sunday's shooting, which is classified as a homicide, will be screened with the
district
attorney, who ultimately will decide if the action was self-defense or warrants criminal
charges, Hill said.
"From the standpoint of the police, at this point, it looks like a justifiable
situation," he
said. "The Utah Code is pretty specific." The criminal code titled "force
and defense of
habitation" states that a person is justified in using force that is "intended
or likely to cause
death or serious bodily injury" when "the entry is made or attempted in a
violent and
tumultuous manner . . . and he reasonably believes that the force is necessary to prevent
the
assault." The code also states a person is justified in using force if he believes
the intent of
the intruder is to commit a felony.
Police are unsure if the dead man broke into the home in order to rob it or with the
intent to harm the residents, Hill said. It is possible the man was in the wrong place or
may
have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said.
The State Medical Examiner's Office was to perform an autopsy on the man's body
Monday.
Kooyman said his parents were afraid to go to sleep after the incident. His father, who
is an avid hunter and taught Kooyman and his siblings about gun safety, is not a violent
person, Kooyman said.
"I can't imagine him intentionally hurting another person, but what choice did he
have?"
he said.
Other family members said Sunday they believe their parents would have been killed if
not for the gun.
"If they were unarmed they wouldn't be here today. I don't think (the intruder)
was
there to steal anything, but he was there to hurt them," their daughter said.
"Unfortunately,
the elderly are the ones that often get victimized. I don't think they should be forced to
put
bars on their windows, but that's how older people have to live nowadays. We are
definitely
pro-gun rights. I'm going to go get one tomorrow."
Kooyman said his father does want gun-rights advocates to hold the shooting up as an
example of why individual freedoms should be protected. Although he does have a
concealed weapons permit, Kooyman's father resigned his membership in the National Rifle
Association because he disagreed with some of the NRA's actions.
But Kooyman, who said he and his father have often talked about what they might do if
someone broke into their homes, said he hoped his dad would again do whatever was
necessary to protect himself.
"If his life or my mother's life was threatened, I hope he would. I know it sounds
selfish,
but I would be the victim's family otherwise." he said. " My dad's really
passive. He doesn't
feel good about this in any way."
Deseret News staff writer Brady Snyder contributed to this report.
