Texas Homeowner Kills 3 Home Invaders In Self-Defense During Shootout

A Houston-area homeowner killed three people in self-defense during an attempted home invasion and shootout, police said.

The home invasion occurred in Channelview, Texas, around 9:30 a.m. Monday when three men reportedly broke into a trailer home. Homeowner Yair Gallegos was reportedly home with another resident when the men broke in, prompting Gallegos to grab his shotgun while the other person hid. What followed was a short shootout between Gallegos and the home invaders as neighbors called police.

“It appears there was some gunfire exchanged,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. “The one with the shotgun was able to shoot at the three males and they were all pronounced dead at the scene.”

While the invaders were killed, Gallegos was shot in the back and leg. He was quickly rushed to a local hospital under critical condition and reportedly spent the rest of Monday in surgery.

Witnesses also police a fourth person may have been present but fled when the shootout started. However, investigators have not identified a possible fourth accomplice in the attempted home invasion.

“The other three guys are not from here, never seen them in my life,” Gallegos’ cousin, Cesar Lopez, told reporters. “Nobody has, so we’re guessing it’s somebody from somebody else that just tried to break into a home and tried to do a home invasion.”