Police kill Colorado homeowner during burglary call

AURORA, Colo. (KUSA) – A 73-year-old Army veteran shot and killed a naked intruder who had attacked his grandson and was still inside his home when he, in turn, was shot and killed by an Aurora, Colorado police officer, an attorney for the man’s family told 9Wants to Know late Tuesday afternoon.

Richard “Gary” Black Jr. was protecting his family when he was killed, according to Qusair Mohamedbhai, an attorney representing the Purple Heart winner’s family.

Mohamedbhai said that while he was still piecing together the sequence of events surrounding the incident early Monday morning that Black’s death should not have happened.

He said evidence at the scene suggests that the officer who shot Black was outside the home when he opened fire, but he’s eager to see body camera footage to determine exactly what happened.

Black – who earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in Vietnam – owns the home at 10609 E. Montview Blvd., where the shooting occurred, with his wife Jeannette.

She was hospitalized Tuesday and went into surgery for unspecified injuries sustained in the incident, Mohamedbhai said.

In a written release, Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz said that “officers arrived to a very chaotic and violent scene” after a series of 911 calls just before 1:30 a.m. Monday.