Intruder Shoots Mission Viejo Man in Apparent Burglary Attempt
A 33-year-old Mission Viejo man was shot and wounded by an armed intruder wearing a ski mask during an apparent burglary attempt early Monday, Sheriff’s Lt. Dick Olson said.
Dennis Keith Woodward, a self-employed contractor, was in serious condition Monday afternoon following surgery for a small-caliber gunshot wound to the neck, a spokeswoman for Mission Community Hospital said.
Olson said Woodward’s wife, Kerry Lynn Woodward, 33, telephoned authorities at 2 a.m. to say her husband had been shot in their home in the 25800 block of Triton Court a short time earlier.
Woodward apparently was surprised by an intruder while he and his wife slept in an upstairs bedroom, Olson said. His wife was not injured.
The assailant fled and was heard speeding away in a car believed to have been parked in front of the Woodward residence. The intruder was described as about 5 foot 11, 185 pounds, wearing dark clothing and a dark ski mask.
An investigation was continuing to determine how the intruder gained entry and whether anything was missing from the home, Olson said.
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