Franklinton, N.C. — A Franklin County homeowner shot and killed an intruder during a break-in Monday morning, Sheriff Pat Green said.
Terry McLamb, 38, shot Thomas J. Wright shortly before 7 a.m. as he broke into the Green Hill Road home where McLamb and his sister, Lisa Jane Wright, live, the sheriff said. Thomas Wright was not armed.
Green said he has not filed charges against McLamb, but that decision is ultimately up to the Franklin County District Attorney's Office, which could send the case to a grand jury.
Green said he believes that McLamb acted in self-defense and was exercising his right to bear arms and protect his home.
Thomas Wright had broken into McLamb's home and stolen items several times before, was a suspect in other break-ins in the neighborhood and was out on bond while awaiting trial for a 2009 break-in, Green said.
His criminal record dates to 1983 and includes convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, assault by pointing a gun, stalking, breaking and entering and selling drugs.
