Police: Homeowner shot, wounded intruder who broke into home; said he had just killed a cop

CLARE COUNTY, Michigan -- Police said a resident shot a man who allegedly broke into a home in Clare County, Michigan. 

Dispatchers at the Clare County 911 center received a call just before 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 4th from a home in the 2000 block of S. Old State Avenue in Lincoln Township for reports of a man who had just broken into a home and was still inside.

The caller said the intruder, a 36-year-old from Farewell, refused to leave and was saying he had just killed a cop down the road.

Officers were already in the area investigating a single-vehicle crash where the driver had fled the scene. When they arrived at the home they found the suspect had run through the house and broken into a bedroom where a male resident of the home was located.

The suspect was shot in the neck by one of the residents. There were three people at the home at the time of the incident.

The suspect was taken to a central Michigan hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is in stable condition, police said. He is now in the custody.

Police said the intruder was parole fugitive. His name is not being released at this time.

No one else was injured and investigators found no evidence of a cop injured or killed.

"You're in the countryside. You're going to have weapons. So yeah, people should think about that when they break into people's houses," said Lynn DePew, neighbor.

The resident told police he used a 9 millimeter to protect himself and loved ones when he shot the intruder.

"The shot went out when police arrived and the intruder made advancement at the homeowners that were holding him at bay," Michigan State Police Lt. Gary Green said. "If you feel like your life is in danger, you do have the right to defend yourself. I'm not saying that's what happened. That's part of this investigation."