AUBURN, Wash. — Terrifying Ring video shows when an Auburn homeowner opened fire after 3 masked men tried to break into his home.
It all happened around 2 a.m. Thursday.
The homeowners, who didn’t want to be on camera, told KIRO 7 News they couldn’t believe it happened to them.
“I woke up and then like a second later I hear glass shatter and the alarms are going off,” said a neighbor who lives next door to the targeted home.
The neighbor tells us he woke up to several shots fired.
**Press Release/Shooting (Home Invasion)**
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) October 19, 2023
10/19
Around 2 a.m., the Auburn Police Department was dispatched to the 31000 block of 117 PL SE for a report of a non-injury shooting. pic.twitter.com/3VcRhIbhag
“I was just wondering okay, are they shooting at our house or is it in the area ya know,” he added. “I was instantly worried that if they weren’t breaking into our house right now that someone was going to come into our yard. Maybe a gunfight was happening in our yard, they were going to break in our house. You never know,” the neighbor said.
He tells us he heard upwards of 30 rounds.
That’s because gunfire was exchanged between the homeowners and the suspects.
After the residents opened fire, as seen in the Ring video, they say the masked men fired back at the house. Several bullet holes were left across the front of their home, including one in the neighbor’s window.
“I’m just like, man, they’re lucky to be alive,” the neighbor said.
The Auburn home is just one of 4 reported home invasions in the South King County area since Sunday. Two of them were in Kent and another in Renton.
KIRO 7 News asked Auburn Police about this unsettling trend. They say properly securing your home could make a big difference.
“You can see that they really did have their home properly secured. It took them a solid 20 seconds to get through that door by kicking it and trying to ram it,” said Kolby Crossley, who is the PIO for the Auburn Police Department.
The homeowners tell us they’re glad they had a gun on hand to protect themselves. We asked the police what they recommended.
“We do encourage you to defend yourself, you know. If you’re in a situation where you feel like you’re being threatened. In a situation like this, that’s so terrifying. If you feel that’s the right action for you to take then that’s what you need to do to protect your home and the people inside your home,” Crossley said.
But even with cameras and motion-sensor lights, the Auburn victims are still picking up the pieces to rebuild the front of their home.
“This is a wake-up call for a lot of people. Just that there’s people there willing to do this type stuff and it’s not too far from home,” said a next-door neighbor.
Police are still working to determine if any of the 4 home invasions are related.
We know that 3 of them, including the Auburn attempt, involved Asian victims.
If you have any information about the suspects in that Ring video, you’re urged to call Auburn Police.
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